Nitish Rana has been in superb touch during the Delhi Premier League (DPL), playing a crucial part in West Delhi Lions’ march to the final. The left-handed batter has piled up 314 runs from 10 matches at an impressive strike rate of 188. Rana, who links his fine form to the Hanuman Chalisa, mentioned that he keeps a copy of it in his pocket whenever he goes out to bat.

“Jeb main leke batting karne jata hu, (I carry it in my pocket every time I walk out to bat),” he said to the media.

In Qualifier 2 against East Delhi Riders, Rana once again delivered with the bat, scoring a quickfire 45* off 26 balls as his team chased down 140 with ease, sealing an eight-wicket win in the 18th over. His teammate Ayush Doseja was the top scorer, finishing unbeaten on 54.

Rana had already turned heads in the Eliminator with a blistering 134* from just 54 balls against South Delhi Superstarz. That contest also saw a fiery exchange between him and spinner Divgesh Rathi. Speaking later, Rana stressed that he never backs away when challenged on the field.

“It isn’t about being right or wrong, his goal was to win for his side, and mine was to win for my team. Still, respecting the spirit of cricket is a duty for both of us. He initiated it,” Rana said in a media interaction, as reported by India Today.

“If someone tries to provoke me or gets in my face, I’m not the type to stay silent. That’s always been my approach to the game. If they believe they can dismiss me by provoking me, I can answer back with sixes. What happened was just an example of that,” Rana explained.