New Zealand cricket legend Kane Williamson waxed lyrical about Nitish Rana after the left-hander’s match-winning knock in Rajasthan Royals’ six-run win against the Chennai Super Kings in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Sunday.
Nitish Rana, who was named Player of the Match, smashed a 36-ball 81 to help the Royals post a formidable total of 182/9 at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati.
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The left-handed batter hit a 21-ball half-century and became the first player to score a fifty inside the powerplay in IPL 2025. His knock caught Kane Williamson’s eye.
"Nitish is an excellent player of spin, but he got his innings started against the seam, using the pace well," Williamson, who won the IPL title with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016, said on JioHotstar after the match.
It didn’t take too long for Nitish to settle down, getting off the mark with a boundary in just his second ball. He was particularly severe with pacer Jamie Overton, hitting him for three fours and a six in the Englishman’s first two overs.
Nitish then dispatched the first two deliveries from veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin over the ropes to set the tempo of the innings.
"He accessed the areas behind square nicely and perhaps came in at No. 3 due to the left-hand, right-hand combination. It was an incredible knock of the highest standard, and I think that's key for him moving forward in this tournament,” the Kiwi added.
The left-handed Nitish Rana was promoted up the order, instead of captain Riyan Parag, after fellow southpaw Yashasvi Jaiswal returned to the pavilion in the first over.
“Rajasthan Royals have several other talented batters, but today, Nitish was the match-winner,” he opined.
A two-time IPL winner, Nitish Rana won the IPL trophy with Mumbai Indians in 2017 and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024. His fifty against CSK was his 19th half-century in the IPL and his first for Rajasthan Royals.
He will be seen in action next when Rajasthan Royals face Punjab Kings in their next match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
