Nitish Rana hits 7 sixes in unbeaten 49-ball 79 as West Delhi Lions clinch maiden DPL title with 6-wicket win over Central Delhi Kings

Nitish Rana found form at the back end of the tournament as he led West Delhi Lions to their maiden Delhi Premier League (DPL) title. On August 30 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, West Delhi Lions beat Central Delhi Kings by six wickets to get their hands on the coveted trophy. After an economical spell, skipper Nitish starred with an unbeaten 49-ball 79 in the run chase. 

Kings suffer collapse

In the absence of Yash Dhull, Central Delhi Kings skipper Jonty Sidhu won the toss and opted to bat first. Opener Siddarth Joon fell early after hitting Shubham Dubey for a six. In the fifth over, Aryan Rana got knocked over by Manan Bhardwaj for a 12-ball 21. Central Delhi Kings were 45/2 after powerplay overs. Boundaries dried up. In the ninth over, Shivank Vashisht struck twice to dismiss Sidhu and Jasvir Sehrawat. Then, Nitish completed his spell with Aditya Bhandari's wicket. Central Delhi Kings were 64/5 at the halfway stage.

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Kings give themselves a fighting chance

In the 13th over, Central Delhi kings lost their sixth wicket in the form of Kaushal Suman. As the slog overs approached, Yugal Saini accelerated. In the 18th over, Hrithik Shokeen was hit for three sixes. Saini reached his fifty with a four and followed it up with two sixes in the penultimate over. In the final over, Mayank Gusain dismissed Saini for a 48-ball 65. Pranshu Vijayran finished the innings with two fours and a six. He reached his fifty from just 24 balls as Central Delhi Kings posted 173/7.

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Lions lose early wickets

In the run chase, West Delhi Lions faced an early blow in the second over. Simarjeet Singh struck twice to dismiss Krish Yadav and Ayush Doseja. In the fifth over, Ankit Kumar departed for an 11-ball 20 cameo. He lost his wicket to Arun Pundir. Nitish seemed unfazed and hit two sixes and a four to cap off the powerplay overs. In the 10th over, Tejas Baroda knocked over Mayank Gusain for an 11-ball 15. 

Nitish, Shokeen finish in style

Wickets fell, but the tempo didn't. Shokeen did not take much time to get going. Meanwhile, Nitish reached his fifty from 32 balls. Nitish accelerated after reaching his fifty, attempting to finish the run chase early. In the 18th over, Shokeen hit Money Grewal for a six to finish the game in style. He remained unbeaten for a 27-ball 42. West Delhi Lions won the game by six wickets with two overs to spare. Nitish hit four fours and seven sixes in his match-winning knock.

Nitish’s numbers in DPL 2025

Nitish finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer of the season. From 11 innings, he scored 393 runs at an average of 65.50 and strike rate of 181.94. The southpaw hit one century and one fifty each In the season.