In a thrilling encounter during the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025 eliminator, Nitish Rana, captain of West Delhi Lions, showcased an extraordinary batting performance, scoring a century in a mere 42 balls and hitting 15 sixes against South Delhi Superstarz. This explosive innings propelled his team to Qualifier-2. The match also featured a tense moment as Rana and Digvesh Rathi, a spinner from South Delhi, were involved in a heated exchange that almost led to a physical confrontation, which was widely shared on social media.
The match took place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. South Delhi Superstarz batted first, posting a score of 201 runs for 5 wickets in 20 overs. West Delhi Lions responded with a commanding performance, achieving victory with seven wickets in hand and 17 balls remaining. Nitish Rana’s unbeaten score of 134 runs off 55 balls included 8 boundaries and 15 sixes. He relentlessly attacked the South Delhi bowlers, notably scoring three consecutive sixes in an over by Digvesh Rathi, who conceded 20 runs in that over. Chris Yadav added 31 runs, and Mayank Gosain scored an unbeaten 15 runs. Sumit Kumar Beniwal took two wickets for South Delhi, while Aman Bharti secured one.
South Delhi Superstarz had a strong start, with Ankur Kaushik and Anmol Sharma forming a solid opening partnership, scoring 67 runs together. Sharma scored 55 runs, featuring 7 fours and 2 sixes. Captain Tejashwi Dahiya made 60 runs, and Sumit Mathur scored an unbeaten 48. Ritik Shaukin of West Delhi Lions took two wickets, while Shubham Dubey, Shivank Vashisht, and Anirudh Chaudhary each took one.