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Watch: Temperatures Soar High as ‘Furious’ Nitish Rana Gets Involved in Heated Confrontation with Umpire

Originally posted on FirstSportz  |  By Siddhartha Roy  |  Last updated Aug 8, 2025 5:44 PM ET

West Delhi Lions skipper and veteran Indian batter Nitish Rana engaged in a heated on-field confrontation with an umpire during a Delhi Premier League (DPL) match. While fielding for his side in their match against Purani Dilli 6, Rana was seen in an animated argument.

In the 10th match of the ongoing 2025 DPL season, West Delhi Lions faced off against last season’s semifinalists, Purani Dilli 6, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Led by the experienced IPL star Nitish Rana, West Delhi were unable to chase down a total of 187 runs, falling short by 15 runs in their 20 overs. It marked the first defeat for Rana’s side in the second season of the DPL, after having played three matches so far.

Purani Dilli 6, without their star player Rishabh Pant, who fractured his toe during the India-England series, posted a challenging first-innings total of 186 runs. Samarth Seth emerged top-scorer with a 52-run knock off 36 balls, while Dev Lakra scored a crucial 47 off 31 balls. In response, West Delhi Lions could only manage 171/8 at the end, despite a scintillating 101-run knock off just 54 balls, by Ayush Doseja. 

Nitish Rana, who was unimpressive with the bat, scoring just 15 runs off 14 balls, before being dismissed by Lalit Yadav, despite his team’s defeat, was at the center of a major controversy that erupted during the first innings of the match. The 31-year-old, who most recently returned to play for Delhi after spending two years with the Uttar Pradesh state team, was caught on camera losing his temper while fielding.

A video of his fiery argument with an umpire quickly went viral on social media. It showed Rana appearing quite disappointed with one of the umpire’s decisions, following which he did not hold back in expressing his disapproval. While the exact reason for his outburst is unknown, Rana was seen trying to seemingly persuade the umpire to reconsider an issue that may have occurred on the field.

The umpire, in turn, was also seen attempting to explain his side of the story to the West Delhi captain, but to no avail, as Rana remained visibly unconvinced after the confrontation. He was eventually seen walking away from the umpire to end the argument, returning to his fielding position after a few moments to allow the game to resume. He was also seen gesturing with his hands as he walked away.

It remains to be seen whether Nitish Rana will be penalized for his outburst against the umpire in the DPL. He has already been fined once this season, with 10 percent of his match fees being deducted for maintaining a slow over-rate in the West Delhi Lions’ victory over the East Delhi Riders.

Will Nitish Rana be Retained by Rajasthan Royals or Traded Out Before IPL 2026?

The future of 31-year-old middle-order batter Nitish Rana with the Rajasthan Royals is in doubt following a disappointing 2025 IPL campaign for the franchise. He is among several Royals players whose future is uncertain, including captain and opener Sanju Samson.

It is being speculated that Nitish Rana might be considering a move back to his former franchise, the Kolkata Knight Riders, ahead of the 2026 IPL season. The Delhi batter, who even captained KKR in 2023, was released by the team before the 2025 season. Rana then shifted to RR, where he only managed 217 runs at an average of 21.70 in 11 matches, before being ruled out with an injury in the final stages of the season.

Speculation about Nitish Rana’s potential return to KKR was initially sparked after he was spotted wearing the team’s cap during a training session for the West Delhi Lions before the DPL season. He was acquired by RR for INR 4.25 crores at the auction last year.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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