Two years after switching to Uttar Pradesh, 31-year-old Nitish Rana is likely to return to the Delhi for the upcoming domestic season.Former Delhi captain Nitish Rana had moved to UP from Delhi in 2023. “Apna ghar toh apna hi hota hai (Nothing comes close to your home),” Rana’s childhood coach Sanjay Bharadwaj told TimesofIndia.com.“Yes, he will be playing for Delhi this season. I had asked him not to move out then also. He didn’t had a great season with Uttar Pradesh. As a professional cricketer, you have too much pressure.
“It is a wise decision from him that he is returning to Delhi. This is where he has played all his cricket, right from the age-group level. He even got his first India call-up while playing for Delhi. It is a smart move,” said Bharadwaj, who has shaped the careers of Gautam Gambhir, Amit Mishra, Joginder Sharma, Unmukt Chand, and Priyansh Arya.Rana had a forgettable outing for Uttar Pradesh in the 2024-25 domestic season. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he managed only 111 runs in nine games. He featured in only two List A matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, managing only 17 runs, before he was dropped. He was booted out of the Ranji Trophy team following a string of low scores. Rana scored 150 runs in four games.However, his return doesn’t guarantee him a place in the Delhi side, but the southpaw will be part of the second season of the Delhi Premier League (DPL), which will have eight teams this time around.“This is not a dump station. When he asked for the No Objection Certificate (NOC) in 2023, we had requested him to stay and play for Delhi,” said a source close to the development.“He will have to earn his spot. There is no guarantee that he will get a chance right away.” Rana had an underwhelming IPL 2025 with the Rajasthan Royals, who bought the southpaw for a whopping Rs 4.20 crore in the auction. The southpaw managed only 217 runs in 11 outings for the Royals.It would be interesting to see how Rana will be welcomed back to the Delhi unit, as he was involved in a heated exchange with Delhi captain Ayush Badoni in the quarterfinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year. With things heating up between the two players, the umpires had to get involved and separate the two who came face-to-face with each other.
