Nitish Rana bids adieu to Delhi cricket, moves to Uttar Pradesh cricket team

Nitish Rana to reunite with KKR teammate Rinku Singh in Uttar Pradesh team.

Nitish Rana officially announced his departure from the Delhi cricket team on August 20, 2023, and also revealed that he will be joining the Uttar Pradesh team for the upcoming domestic season. Nitish Rana had captained Delhi in the Ranji Trophy and also in white-ball tournaments.

Nitish Rana recently requested a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) in order to swap teams before the season began.

The left-handed batter was dissatisfied with how he was dropped midway through the previous season and, at the season’s end, started looking into possibilities. After being dropped in the middle of the last Ranji season, the KKR batter made himself unavailable for the team’s contest against Hyderabad.

Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) officials tried stopping him, but Rana remained adamant in his decision. DDCA joint secretary Rajan Manchanda confirmed that they have received the necessary NOC and clearances from the association.

The 29-year-old, who represented Delhi in 44 first-class matches, said he is joining the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) to reach new heights.

Some reports had also stated that he was not happy after being removed from captaincy for Yash Dhull and for dropping him from the playing eleven of a Ranji Trophy match.

Nitish Rana to join KKR teammate Rinku Singh in the Uttar Pradesh team

Nitish Rana had played one ODI and two T20Is for India and recently captained the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side in the IPL 2023 in the absence of Shreyas Iyer, who missed the tournament due to back surgery.

Rana announced his decision via a statement on socialmedia, which read:

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the opportunities, guidance, and support which DDCA has provided me over the years. As I move on to new horizons, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey I had while captaining Delhi Cricket and express my sincere appreciation.

I would also like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Rohan Jaitley for his support and cooperation during my time with DDCA. However, I think it’s time to turn the page and embark on a new chapter in my career.

I have come to this decision with a lot of thought and I’m happy to announce that I’ll be joining UPCA from the upcoming domestic season. I’m excited to play for UPCA, and I look forward to working with everyone to reach new heights.” said Rana

Apart from Rana, his Delhi teammate Dhruv Shorey has also left the team and moved to Vidarbha in hopes of playing white-ball cricket more after Delhi left him out of the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournaments.

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