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Nitish Rana and Digvesh Rathi clashed in the Delhi Premier League, leading to penalties and viral reactions as cricketers reeacted to the incident on social media.
Nitish Rana fights with Digvesh Rathi. (Picture Credit: Screengrab)
The confrontation between Nitish Rana and Digvesh Rathi during the Delhi Premier League (DPL) has sent social media into a frenzy with multiple cricketers weighing in on the incident.
The incident occurred in a high-stakes match between West Delhi Lions and South Delhi Superstarz, when tension began when Rathi unexpectedly stopped his bowling run-up in the middle of a delivery. Rana responded by backing away in the bowler’s delivery stride. Rana then unleashed a series of attacking shots, even mimicking Rathi’s ‘notebook celebration’ after hitting boundaries off his bowling. Tempers flared, leading to an exchange of words, and the situation escalated to the point where umpires and fellow players had to intervene to calm things down. Rana’s response saw him score an unbeaten 134 off just 55 balls, leading West Delhi Lions to a memorable victory.
The fiery episode had consequences. Match officials penalised both players for their actions, with Rathi fined 80 per cent of his match fee and Rana losing 50 per cent of his.
How Cricketers Reacted To Nitish Rana-Digvesh Rathi Fight?
The clash continued to stir discussions off the field.
Rana posted pictures from the game on Instagram, attracting comments from fellow cricketers. Young pacer Harshit Rana cheekily wrote, “Yeh hui na baat.” Navdeep Saini joined in with, “Swaad aa gya,” while his former Kolkata Knight Riders teammate Suyash Sharma admired him, calling him “Badshah.” England’s Phil Salt also playfully chimed in with “Rana Ji.”
Addressing the controversy later, Rana shared his perspective. He emphasised that while Rathi might have provoked him, he chose to respond with his batting.
“It’s not about who’s right or wrong, he came to win the match for his team, and I came to win for mine. But respecting the game of cricket is my responsibility, and it’s his as well. He was the one who started it, I won’t say how or what happened, because that would be unfair. But yes, if someone pokes me or gets in my face, I’m not someone who will just sit quietly. Because this is how I’ve always played my cricket. If someone pokes me, and they think they’ll get me out by provoking me, then I can also hit back with sixes. What happened yesterday was an example of that,” Nitish was quoted as saying.
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin… Read More
Read More
