Ex-KKR Captain Embroiled In Verbal Spat With LSG Star, Umpire Has To Step In During SMAT Game
Nitish Rana and Ayush Badoni were involved in a heated exchange during a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy action has been going on thick and fast, as the quarter-finals got underway in India's domestic T20 tournament. The latest match, a clash between northern rivals Delhi and Uttar Pradesh saw two Indian Premier League (IPL) stars clash. Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Nitish Rana and current Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) star Ayush Badoni had a heated exchange during the quarter-final. The clash and war of words between the two required the umpire to intervene in order to separate them.
Rana, who used to play for Delhi but now represents Uttar Pradesh, was bowling to Delhi captain Badoni. In the 13th over, Rana first withdrew once from his bowling stance, before Badoni returned the favour by withdrawing from his batting stance.
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The incident evidently caused tension between the two, with the duo squaring off against each other at the non-striker's end.
As the two squared off, the standing umpire had to step in to ensure that the heated exchange does not escalate.
In the quarter-final, Delhi put up a strong total of 193/3 in 20 overs. Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicket-keeper batter Anuj Rawat starred with a 33-ball 73. Rawat will play for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025.
IPL 2025: Nitish Rana and Ayush Badoni
Nitish Rana is an IPL veteran, having established himself as a reliable Indian middle-order batter. Rana won IPL 2024 with KKR, and even captained the franchise a year earlier.
However, come the mega auction, KKR did not put a bid for Rana, and he was sold to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 4.2 crore.
On the other hand, Badoni did not enter the auction pool at all. The 25-year-old was retained by LSG as one of their two uncapped retentions, at a fee of Rs 4 crore. He is expected to feature in a stacked middle-order for LSG in IPL 2025, that will feature the likes of Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran and David Miller.
India Cricket Team