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DPL Eliminator turns ugly: Digvesh Rathi, Nitish Rana embroiled in fiery clash

Digvesh Rathi and Nitish Rana
Digvesh Rathi and Nitish Rana (Photo - X)

The West Delhi Lions snatched a berth in Qualifier 2 of the Delhi Premier League 2025 edition. The DPL Eliminator saw the Lions battling against South Delhi Superstarz. The scenes at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the high-scoring game, however, turned to emulate a real battle as tempers flared across the teams. The dismissal of Lions' opener Krish Yadav in the 202-run chase brought the heat to the venue. However, the clash was not the only instance of the opponents charging at each other. The following moments in the tense Eliminator staged Digvesh Rathi and the Lions' skipper Nitish Rana throwing some words at each other.

DPL Eliminator stages ugly scenes as West Delhi Lions beat South Delhi Superstarz 

The high-stakes game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium saw the pressure taking a toll on the opposing teams. A brawl-like scene surfaced in the 11th over of the second innings when Aman Bharti dismissed Lions' opener Krish Yadav on 31 off 22. Bharti followed his scalp with a stare-down at Yadav, throwing some words into the mix. However, Krish Yadav did not let Bharti's antics slide, returning to the crease to give it back to the South Delhi Superstarz bowler.

Sumit Mathur of the Superstarz team also joined in, escalating the tensions further until Nitish Rana and the on-field umpire intervened. The Lions' captain put his arm around Sumit to separate him from Krish, who was directed by the umpire to return to the dugout. Soon after Rana managed to quash the showdown, the skipper himself engaged in another heated exchange with Digvesh Rathi. 

Rathi rose to fame in IPL 2025. As the Delhi player emerged as a reliable spinner for Lucknow Super Giants, the spinner swiftly etched a contentious reputation. Rathi was fined multiple times in the IPL season for his notebook celebration. The youngster was even suspended for a match after engaging in a heated clash with SRH opener Abhishek Sharma. However, the sanctions levied on Digvesh Rathi in the IPL have not managed to mold the spinner's temperament. Rathi's usual temper was on show as South Delhi Superstarz came out to defend a 201-run total against West Delhi Lions in the DPL 2025 Eliminator. 

The flashpoint occurred in Digvesh Rathi’s over when the leg-spinner abruptly pulled out of his delivery stride just as Nitish Rana was shaping up for a sweep. Rathi casually walked back with a grin on his face. The gesture, however, did not sit well with Rana. Determined to give it back, the left-hander stepped away from the crease on the very next ball, forcing Rathi to stop mid-run-up. That’s when the West Delhi Lions skipper shot back with a taunt, saying, “Chal dalta reh chal” (Keep bowling).

Rana soon translated his irritation into action. He nailed a reverse sweep for six and immediately mimicked Rathi’s trademark “notebook celebration” with his bat. The mockery struck a nerve, prompting Rathi to respond with a few harsh words of his own. Tempers boiled over as Rana stormed down the pitch, clearly in no mood to let things slide. Before matters could escalate further, Rathi’s South Delhi Superstarz teammates intervened, pulling the two apart.

When the dust settled, Rana had the last word with his bat. He blazed his way to an unbeaten 134 off just 55 deliveries, single-handedly steering West Delhi Lions to a dominant seven-wicket win in the DPL Eliminator. The chase of 202 was wrapped up with 17 balls to spare. For Rathi, it was a night to forget as he leaked 39 runs in only two overs. Meanwhile, Rana’s Lions marched ahead to Qualifier 2, where they will lock horns with East Delhi Riders on Saturday, August 30, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Author Ayushi Singh
Ayushi Singh

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