Nitish breaks silence on fight with Digvesh

With the second edition of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025, underway at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, reaching its penultimate stage, star India batter Nitish Rana opened up on his heated exchange

with Digvesh Rathi. It is to be noted that on Friday, August 29, things heated up during the Eliminator as Nitish Rana was involved in a fiery exchange with Digvesh Rathi.

The moment took place as Nitish Rana-led West Delhi Lions were chasing the 202 total to seal a berth in the Qualifier 2 of DPL 2025. The animated gestures from the South Delhi Superstarz’s pacer compelled Rana to drop a fiery response with a six, followed by a war of words. However, the team players and umpires intervened before it turned ugly, but it was enough to get the attention of thousands.

He was the one who started it: Nitish Rana on fight with Digvesh Rathi

Hours after the spat, the West Delhi Lions skipper opened up on the incident while claiming that it was Digvesh Rathi who began it. Speaking with PTI on the sidelines of the ongoing DPL 2025, Rana said, “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 Rana continued. "The one who starts it, it’s in their hands to end it. I’ve been in many fights so far, it’s not like I haven’t. But till today, I’ve never initiated anything. Yes, if someone says something to me first, I always respond and that’s my way. That’s how I’ve been brought up,” he added.

Watch video of Nitish Rana speaking about the verbal spat involving Digvesh Rathi:

Notably, both players were sanctioned with fines for their actions. While Digvesh Rathi has been fined 80% of the match fees for a Code of Conduct breach under Article 2.2 (Level 2) for the conduct contrary to the spirit of the game, Rana has been fined 50% of the match fees for a Code of Conduct breach under Article 2.6 (Level 1) - using a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during a match.