Under the leadership of Nitish Rana, West Delhi Lions clinched the Delhi and District Cricket Association's (DDCA) Delhi Premier League (DPL) title, defeating Central Delhi Kings by six wickets in the final at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. Rana's unbeaten innings of 79 runs from 49 balls was instrumental in his team's victory.

The final of the second season of the DPL was witnessed by over 10,000 spectators. Among those in attendance were former Indian cricket stars Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag. DDCA president Rohan Jaitley emphasized the importance of the DPL as a platform for cricketers and administrators alike. He credited the success of the league to the collective effort of everyone involved, including the players, administrators, franchise owners, and spectators, while expressing optimism for an even better season three.

After spending two years in Uttar Pradesh, this season marked Rana's return to Delhi and his debut in the Delhi Premier League. In a previous match, Rana was involved in a verbal exchange with Delhi Superstarz spinner Digvesh Rathi.

Chasing a target of 174 runs, West Delhi Lions lost their openers, Krish Yadav and Ayush Doseja, early in the innings. Rana then forged a partnership with Ankit Kumar (20) before joining forces with Hrithik Shokeen (42*) to guide the team to victory, putting together an 85-run partnership.

Earlier in the tournament, Rana had showcased his explosive batting prowess in the Eliminator against South Delhi Superstarz, scoring an unbeaten 134 off 55 balls. His aggressive innings, filled with boundaries and clean hitting, propelled his team into Qualifier 2. In that match, the South Delhi Superstarz had posted a total of 201/5, with significant contributions from Anmol Sharma, Ankur Kaushik, Tejasvi Dahiya (60), and Sumit Mathur (48*).

West Delhi Lions had a successful run to the final, including a seven-wicket win over South Delhi Superstarz in the Eliminator and a victory against East Delhi Riders in Qualifier 2. In the Qualifier 2, Nitish Rana contributed a brisk 45* off 26 balls. In the final, Simarjeet Singh took two early wickets for Central Delhi Kings. Yugal Saini's 65 runs and Pranshu Vijayan's unbeaten 50 helped Central Delhi Kings reach a total of 173/7.

Nitish Rana's journey in cricket has seen him represent India in both ODI and T20I formats, with his international debut occurring during the tour of Sri Lanka in 2021. In the IPL, he has played for the Mumbai and Kolkata franchises, even captaining the latter in the 2023 season. In the 2017 IPL season, he scored 333 runs, playing a key role in Mumbai's title-winning campaign.