On Friday night, tempers ran high in the Delhi Premier League 2025 Eliminator as South Delhi Superstarz (SDS) faced West Delhi Lions (WDL) to book their place in Qualifier 2 of the competition.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Rathi was again involved in a controversy after heated exchanges and subsequent fines during the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League. This time, he had an altercation with West Delhi skipper and Rajasthan Royals star Nitish Rana.
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Both teams reached the playoffs of the competition, with 4 wins and 3 losses each in the 10 matches of the league phase. South Delhi and West Delhi finished 3rd and 4th, respectively, with 11 points to their names.
Here's how it panned out at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
WATCH: Nitish Rana vs Digvesh Rathi fight in DPL 2025 Eliminator
The brawl between the duo took place during the second innings of the match when Rana was at the crease, attempting to chase down the 201-run total.
Rathi, who has gained a reputation for disrupting batters by pulling out of his run-up mid-stride, tried the same tactic against Rana at a crucial moment. But the southpaw wasn't willing to play along, so when Rathi came in to bowl the next delivery, Rana turned the tables by pulling out himself.
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Moments later, the 31-year-old skillfully hit the leggie for a switch-hit that went for a six. Rana performed the bowler's signature 'notebook' celebration on his bat.
The duo exchanged heated words at the end of the over and almost threw punches before teammates and the umpire separated them.
It’s all happening here! 🔥🏏
— Delhi Premier League T20 (@DelhiPLT20) August 29, 2025
Nitish Rana | Digvesh Singh Rathi | West Delhi Lions | South Delhi Superstarz | #DPL #DPL2025 #AdaniDPL2025 #Delhi pic.twitter.com/OfDZQGhOlr
Rana slams an unbeaten 135* in the DPL eliminator
The Delhi batter and former Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper came in at 21/2 in the 3rd over and went on to score a swashbuckling hundred in the important game.
He scored 134*(55) to see his team through the winning line. His knock included a whopping 15 sixes and 8 fours as he ended with a strike rate of 243.63.
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He took 45 runs off Rathee, including smashing five sixes and 3 fours, which also added fuel to the fire. Up next, West Delhi will face East Delhi Riders and the winner will advance to the Delhi Premier League 2025 final.