Nitish Rana addressed the heated on-field spat with Digvesh Rathi during the DPL 2025 Eliminator clashThe altercation occurred in the 10th over of West Delhi Lions’ chase. After Rathi gave away a four and a six, he bowled two dot balls, then pulled out of his delivery stride as Rana prepared to sweep. The two exchanged words, and then Rana pulled out of his stance when Rathi was readying to deliver. On the final ball, Rana executed a reverse sweep sending the ball over the boundary. After the over concluded, both players confronted each other in a tense exchange .
In terms of penalties, Rathi was docked 80 percent of his match fee, while Rana lost 50 percent of his own for their conduct. During that clash, Rana powered his team to victory with an explosive 134 off 55 balls, his innings included eight boundaries and 15 sixes, helping West Delhi Lions chase a 202-run target .
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He stated, “He was the one who started it, I won’t say how or what happened, because that would be unfair. 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.” Rana explained his approach, sharing, “The one who starts it, it’s in their hands to end it. I’ve been in many fights so far, it’s not like I haven’t. But till today, I’ve never initiated anything. Yes, if someone says something to me first, I always respond and that’s my way. That’s how I’ve been brought up. My parents taught me that if you’re not wrong, then you should stand up for yourself and that’s exactly what I do, and I’ll keep doing it in the future too” .
Rana’s form continued in the following game, the Qualifier 2 against East Delhi Riders on August 30, where he contributed an unbeaten 45 from 26 balls. West Delhi Lions completed the chase of 140 runs, securing the win with eight wickets remaining and 15 deliveries to spare