Ravichandran Ashwin Praises Nitish Rana for Handling DPL 2025 Clash Maturely. Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised Nitish Rana for his composed response during the verbal altercation with Digvesh Rathi in the Eliminator match of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025.
The heated exchange occurred during the clash between South Delhi Superstaz and West Delhi Lions. After hitting Rathi for a six and mimicking his notebook celebration, Rana and Rathi engaged in a verbal spat. As tensions escalated and Rana charged towards Rathi, fellow players and the umpire intervened to calm the situation.
Despite the incident, Rana remained focused on his game, smashing an unbeaten century to lead West Delhi Lions to a seven-wicket victory. He later addressed the episode but notably chose not to place blame on Rathi, earning Ravichandran Ashwin commendation for his sportsmanship.
“My Respect for Nitish Rana Has Grown Multi-Fold,” Says Ravichandran Ashwin
On his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin shared his thoughts on the recent Rana-Rathi altercation in DPL 2025, praising Nitish Rana for his composed and mature response.
Ashwin said, “My respect for Nitish Rana has grown multi-fold. As spectators, we enjoy the excitement, but there’s no need to character assassinate anyone. Rana’s reaction revealed his true character. It’s easy to bring someone down in the euphoria of a win, but he chose not to. He responded perfectly, and that was remarkable.”
Highlighting Rana’s performance, Ravichandran Ashwin added, “It was Rana’s day—he hit 15 sixes. After the match, when asked ‘What happened?’ he handled it brilliantly. He acknowledged that the fault could have been his or Digvesh’s, but emphasized that he was focused on helping his team win, while Digvesh was doing the same for his side.”
Ashwin continued, “This spirit and intensity are essential for the game. He could have criticized Digvesh Rathi, but he didn’t. Instead, he deflected the question with maturity.”
Meanwhile, Rana’s leadership steered the West Delhi Lions to the DPL 2025 title. After dominating South Delhi Superstarz in the Eliminator, they defeated East Delhi Riders in Qualifier 2 and edged past Central Delhi Kings in the final.
Rana finished as the tournament’s fourth-highest run-scorer, accumulating 393 runs in 11 matches at an average of 65.50 and an impressive strike rate of 181.94.