DPL 2025: Nitish Rana pulls out ‘notebook celebration’ to provoke Digvesh Singh Rathi; chaos erupts in Eliminator, WATCH

DPL 2025: Nitish Rana and Digvesh Singh Rathi involved in ugly spat during Eliminator. (Photo: X)

DPL 2025: Things got ugly during the Eliminator of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) between West Delhi Lions and South Delhi Superstarz on Friday (August 29). Nitish Rana, captain of the West Delhi Lions who guided his side to victory with a sensational century got involved in a fiery exchange with spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi during the contest. The tension began when Rathi started bowling to Rana and both players got indulged in mind games.

Soon, Rana launched the mystery spinner for a towering six and followed it up with a few words before mocking Rathi by imitating his trademark celebration. Rathi fired back with a sharp reply, sparking a heated exchange between the two. The tension escalated to the point where players and umpires had to step in and separate them. Within minutes, the video shared by DPL’s official handle went viral across social media.

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Watch the incident here...

Big Fight In DPL eliminator Nitish Rana and Digvesh Rathee #DPL2025 pic.twitter.com/CdhQRuMNhl

— DK Rajpurohit  (@DeviSin61134860) August 30, 2025

Just when it looked like things are calm and normal like before, West Delhi's Krish Yadav and opposition bowler Aman Bharti clash. Yadav had smashed Bharti for a massive six over long-off but was later trapped by the bowler. While Yadav started walking back to the pavilion, Sharma gave him a death stare with some words.

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Krish clearly didn't appreciate it as he charged towards Sharma. Sumit Mathur and other players also got involved until Nitish Rana brought things under control. The lady umpire also had to intervene.

DPL eliminator match#DPLT20 pic.twitter.com/0ag54kzNrP

— Aaditya jha (@aadi___45) August 29, 2025

Rana quickly stepped in, wrapping an arm around Sumit’s shoulder to lead him away from the scene, while the lady umpire directed Krish back to the dugout to diffuse the situation.

Turning to the action on the field, the Lions were chasing a stiff target of 202 and found themselves in early trouble, losing two wickets inside the powerplay. But skipper Rana, rising to the occasion, teamed up with Krish Yadav to rebuild the innings. The pair forged a vital 97-run partnership for the third wicket, a stand that shifted momentum decisively in the Lions’ favour.

Krish played with flair during his 31 off 22 deliveries before falling to Aman Bharti, but Rana held firm. The captain mixed composure with controlled aggression, finding boundaries at will and keeping the required rate in check. His brilliant century, marked by clean hitting and smart strike rotation, proved the decisive factor in guiding the Lions home.

Earlier in the evening, the South Delhi Superstarz had set the stage with a formidable 201/5 from their 20 overs. Openers Anmol Sharma and Ankur Kaushik provided a blazing start with a 67-run stand, but a sudden flurry of wickets left them wobbling at 78/3 before they regained their footing.