Follow UsIt was playoffs day in the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025 on August 29 (Friday) and the big day saw Central Delhi Kings and West Delhi Lions win Qualifier 1 and Eliminator, respectively.
West Delhi Lions triumphed over South Delhi Superstarz in the Eliminator, and that was thanks to an outrageous knock from skipper Nitish Rana, who hammered an unbeaten 134* off just 55 balls.
However, Rana’s knock and the result itself have been overshadowed by an ugly spat between the Rajasthan Royals man and Digvesh Singh Rathi. The tussle happened in the 10th over of the chase.
Already, in his young career, known for playing mind games, Digvesh pulled out one of his classic ‘fake-outs’, abandoning the delivery in the final second after getting through his run-up. These mind games might have irked a rookie, but Rana is a menace himself, and so on the very next ball, the experienced left-hander brought out a ‘fake-out’ of his own, pulling out seconds before the bowler delivered the ball.
This irked Digvesh, and to make things worse, Rana unleashed a reverse-sweep off the next ball that went for six. That proved to be the tipping point as all hell broke loose.
The two players exchanged visibly harsh words with each other, and had to be separated by their teammates. Rana was, without question, the more animated and agitated one, as he threw plenty of words at Digvesh while looking visibly angry.
In the end, it was Rana and his team who had the last laugh as the West Delhi Lions won by 7 wickets to progress to Qualifier 2.