Nitish Rana reveals Team India ambitions after DPL 2025 heroics
What's the story
Nitish Rana, the captain of West Delhi Lions, has expressed his desire to return to the Indian cricket team. The statement comes after his stellar performance in the 2025 edition of Delhi Premier League (DPL), where he led his team to victory. Rana's last appearance for India was during an away series against Sri Lanka in 2021.
Tournament highlights
Rana's stellar performance in DPL 2025 final
Rana's team, the West Delhi Lions, won the DPL 2025 title after defeating Central Delhi Kings . The victory was largely due to Rana's all-round performance in the final match. Despite a slow start to the tournament with just 135 runs in the league stage, he made a stunning comeback with an unbeaten 134-run knock in the Eliminator match. It was his best T20 innings ever.
Knockout consistency
Rana's knockout stage heroics
In the three knockout matches (Eliminator, Qualifier 2, and Final), Rana scored an impressive 258 runs at a strike rate of 198.4. He remained unbeaten in all three games, leading his team to chase down tough targets. The southpaw finished the season with 393 runs from 11 matches at 65.50. His strike rate of 181.94 is also stunning.
Future aspirations
Rana eyes Indian team comeback
After his successful campaign in DPL 2025, Rana expressed his desire to make a comeback in the Indian cricket team. He said, "For the sake of it, there are a lot of things to think about (on an individual level). I want to make a comeback in the Indian team as well, if I think about it." However, he also emphasized on focusing only on cricket and not letting external noise affect him.
Match details
Man of the Match in DPL final
Rana was not just the Player of the Tournament but also the Man of the Match in DPL 2025 final against Central Delhi Kings. He bowled four overs, giving away just 16 runs and picking up a wicket. With his bat, he came out swinging after Simarjeet Singh's early blows and hit some massive sixes to help West Delhi clinch the DPL title by six wickets with 12 balls remaining.
Numbers
How has Rana fared in Indian colors?
The 31-year-old Rana has played just two T20Is and a solitary ODI for Team India as all three appearances came in the 2021 tour of Sri Lanka. He failed to impress in these games as his returns were 7, 6, and 9. Rana was dropped from the team thereafter. However, he is still determined to represent India at the highest level.