Nitish Rana Engages in Heated Dispute with Ex-Teammate; Umpire Steps In During SMAT Quarterfinals

3 months ago | 5 Views

Former Kolkata Knight Riders captain Nitish Rana faced off against his previous team, Delhi, during the quarterfinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament. Unfortunately, the performance of the all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh was less than memorable. He found himself in a contentious exchange with Ayush Badoni, prompting the on-field umpire to step in.

This incident occurred in the 13th over of the first innings at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Badoni had just arrived at the crease after Rana concluded an 81-run opening partnership by dismissing Priyansh Arya, who scored 44 runs off 31 balls.

The exact cause of the altercation between Rana and Badoni remains uncertain, but it appeared to escalate when Rana aborted his delivery stride at the beginning of the 13th over. Subsequently, Badoni withdrew from his batting stance as Rana approached to bowl. Following this, Badoni managed to hit the next delivery down the leg side for a single. As he made his way toward the non-striker's end, Rana positioned himself in the batter's path, causing Badoni to slow down. This led to a heated exchange of words and intense glares between the two players, necessitating the umpire's intervention to diffuse the situation.

Nitish Rana loses ego battle

Badoni emerged victorious in his confrontation with Rana, as the Lucknow Super Giants player, retained by the franchise before the IPL mega auction, successfully dismissed the Rajasthan Royals' latest addition for a mere 2 runs off three deliveries.

The captain from Delhi was also filled with joy as his team triumphed over Uttar Pradesh by 19 runs, securing a place in the semifinals. They are set to compete against Madhya Pradesh, who defeated Saurashtra by six wickets in the quarterfinals, on Friday in Bengaluru during the tournament's second semifinal. In the first semifinal, Baroda will face Mumbai at the same location, which will also serve as the venue for the final on Sunday.

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