Rajasthan Royals’ Nitish Rana scored a fantastic half-century against Chennai Super Kings in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday but it was his heartwarming celebration that stole the spotlight.
After reaching a brilliant half-century, Rana rocked his bat like a cradle and blew a kiss, a subtle yet touching tribute to the joyous news in his personal life.
Special celebration in new colours and as a father. Special! 💗👼 pic.twitter.com/1ZiXQdMujW
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 30, 2025
The gesture was a symbolic announcement that he and his wife, Saachi Marwah Rana, are expecting twins soon. Rana had revealed the news on social media earlier this month.
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Walking into the middle with his team in a spot of bother in the first over, the 31-year-old Nitish Rana top scored for the Royals by producing a blitzkrieg of 81 from 36 balls, at a strike rate of 225. His innings included 10 fours and five sixes.
The hard-hitting left-hander, sent in to bat at No. 3, scored his fifty in just 21 balls, reaching the milestone within the powerplay overs.
Nitish hit the ground running, getting off the mark with a four on just his second delivery from Khaleel Ahmed. In the fifth over, bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin, he smashed 19 runs, including back-to-back sixes. He hit two boundaries and a maximum off the next over bowled by Khaleel Ahmed setting the tone of the Royals’ counter-attack.
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The video of Rana’s celebration went viral within minutes, with fans flooding social media with congratulatory messages.
This was Nitish Rana’s 19th IPL half-century but the first in Rajasthan Royals’ pink. He fell just six runs short of matching his highest score in the IPL of 87, which incidentally came against CSK during the 2020 season when he played for Kolkata Knight Riders.
