Nitish Rana's West Delhi Lions will clash against the Central Delhi Kings in the DPL 2025 final tonight.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Nitish Rana was recently seen to engage in a fiery battle of words with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Rathi during the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025 Eliminator. Both Nitish and Rathi were fined 50 percent and 80 percent of their match fees, respectively, following the incident for breaching the Code of Conduct.
However, after qualifying the West Delhi Lions into the summit clash, which will take place tonight, the skipper cleared the air on his on-field verbal spat with the 25-year-old during the knockouts.
The batter revealed that Rathi, who made his IPL debut in the latest season, started off the argument. Previously, the leg-spinner got reprimanded multiple times in the IPL 2025 for his viral notebook celebration after dismissing the batters. He also faced a one-match ban in the cash-rich league for his on-field altercation with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener, Abhishek Sharma.
“It’s not about who’s right or wrong. He came to win the match for his team, and I came to win for mine. But respecting the game of cricket is my responsibility, and it’s his as well. He was the one who started it. I won’t say how or what happened, because that would be unfair,” stated Nitish in a media interaction.
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Notably, during the Eliminator, Nitish whacked two fours and five over-boundaries off the 25-year-old on his way to notch up a match-winning 134 not out off just 55 balls. This pulsating knock included a total of eight boundaries and 15 maximums at a blazing strike rate of 243.64. On the other hand, Rathi had an abysmal outing, conceding 39 runs in just 12 deliveries.
“But yes, if someone pokes me or gets in my face, I’m not someone who will just sit quietly. Because this is how I’ve always played my cricket. If someone pokes me, and they think they’ll get me out by provoking me, then I can also hit back with sixes. What happened yesterday was an example of that,” he added.
The batter started off the DPL 2025 with two smashing cameos, but failed to continue that momentum afterward. However, the West Delhi Lions captain regained his form when it mattered the most for the franchise, and powered them to the tournament’s Final with consecutive unbeaten and explosive knocks in the Eliminator and Qualifier 2.
Previously, Nitish also put up 217 runs in 11 matches at a fierce strike rate of 161.94 in his debut season for RR in the IPL 2025, following a seven-year stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). If the 31-year-old continues this purple patch in the upcoming fixtures, the Royals would look to retain him ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.