134 OFF 55 BALLS! Nitish Rana offers a DPL masterclass on Delhi Return

The Arun Jaitley Stadium witnessed something special on Friday night. Nitish Rana, back in Delhi colours after two turbulent years away, delivered an innings that will be remembered for a long time. Hobbling with a calf injury, peppered by ugly exchanges, the West Delhi Lions skipper showed why he was touted as the next big thing from Delhi. Rana finished with an unbeaten 134 off just 55 balls to carry his side into Qualifier 2 of the Delhi Premier League (DPL).

Earlier in the day, the continuous rain delayed the proceedings as both Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator were pushed to new start timings. But as the night went on, Rana delivered his own rain (of sixes of course). The numbers were staggering. Just 8 boundaries and a whopping total of 15 maximums. This was the Eliminator, pressure at its peak, and Rana stood tall when his team needed him the most. The roar of approval from the dugout as he reached his hundred, thanks to a no-ball lifeline, summed up the night.

Nitish Rana finally feels at home!

In 2023, Rana had left Delhi cricket behind, frustrated after being replaced as captain by a much younger Yash Dhull. Uttar Pradesh (UP) gave him the platform to keep playing, but the decision always felt like unfinished business. When the DPL 2025 auction came around, Rana stunned many by announcing his return to Delhi, thanking DDCA President Rohan Jaitley for making the comeback possible.

Tonight, he proved why it mattered. Leading from the front, he walked in after the early wickets of Ankit Kumar and Ayush Doseja and immediately shifted the tone of the chase. A hat-trick of sixes off Digvesh Rathi set the mood, and from there, he never looked back. Even when his calf was troubling him, he found the boundaries to keep the chase alive. By the time Krish Yadav fell for 31, Rana had already turned the match on its head.

When Rana reached his hundred off 42 balls, it was the third-fastest in the history of the league. The timing couldn’t have been better. West Delhi now march into Qualifier 2 against East Delhi Riders, and their skipper is in red-hot form at just the right time.