Watch: Tempers run high! Nitish Rana and Digvesh Rathi nearly come to blows in fiery DPL clash

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Premier League Eliminator turned into a fiery spectacle at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday, as West Delhi Lions skipper Nitish Rana and South Delhi Superstarz spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi almost came to blows in a heated mid-match confrontation.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The official DPL handle later shared the video of the dramatic incident on X, which quickly went viral.The footage showed Rathi pulling out during his run-up, leaving Rana waiting at the crease in visible irritation. Moments later, when Rathi was finally about to release the ball, Rana walked away deliberately, further escalating the tension. The drama reached its peak when Rana audaciously reverse-swept Rathi for a six, following which both players exchanged angry words. Teammates and the umpire had to rush in to prevent the situation from spiraling into a physical altercation.The tension did not end there. Soon after, Krish Yadav attempted to clear the long-off boundary off Aman Bharti but was caught by Anmol Sharma. What followed was an ugly on-field melee, as furious exchanges broke out between South Delhi’s Sumit Mathur, bowler Aman Bharti, and Yadav. Players from both sides got involved in pushing and shoving before officials intervened to restore order.Amid the chaos, Rana’s bat did the talking. The West Delhi captain played a sensational unbeaten knock of 134* off just 55 deliveries, powering his team to a thrilling seven-wicket win while chasing a daunting 202. His innings, laced with audacious strokeplay, proved the defining factor as the Lions roared into Qualifier 2.Earlier, South Delhi Superstarz had piled up 201/5, courtesy of Tejasvi Dahiya’s 60 off 33 and Sumit Mathur’s 48 not out. But despite their formidable total, it was Rana’s masterclass — and his fiery exchanges with Rathi — that stole the limelight.The West Delhi Lions will now face East Delhi Riders in Qualifier 2, with the winner set to meet Central Delhi Kings in the grand finale.