IPL 2025: Nitish Rana Discusses Management's Role in Super Over Decisions
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Synopsis
Nitish Rana of Rajasthan Royals discusses the team's management decisions regarding batting choices in the Super Over of IPL 2025 against Delhi Capitals. Despite his strong performance, he was not selected to bat, leading to a controversial outcome. Rana emphasizes that these decisions are made collectively by the management.
Key Takeaways
- Nitish Rana was expected to bat in the Super Over but was not chosen.
- RR's decision-making was questioned after a poor Super Over performance.
- Management's role is central in on-field decisions, according to Rana.
- The choice of bowler Sandeep Sharma over Jofra Archer raised eyebrows.
- DC captain Axar Patel commented on RR's strategy.
New Delhi, April 17 (NationPress) Many anticipated that Nitish Rana would be among the batting options for Rajasthan Royals (RR) during the first Super Over of IPL 2025 against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday night.
Surprisingly, despite scoring a solid 51 off 28 balls, Rana was not chosen to bat, as RR opted for Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, and then Yashasvi Jaiswal in the crucial one-over decider. This strategy proved ineffective as RR managed only 11 runs off five deliveries, including run-outs on the last two balls.
After the intense match, Rana explained that all decisions regarding on-field strategies lie with the team management. “This is never the decision of one person. It's always the management and the support staff who discuss and make these decisions. If we had won, the questions would have been different. Cricket is a results-driven sport,” he stated.
“Management is the one who decides. There are two senior players and the captain involved. I believe that decision was correct. If Hetmyer had hit two sixes, no one would have questioned it,” he added.
“Hetmyer is our finisher, and he has delivered for us before. We could have done a bit more, and the tied game could have been avoided. But this is the outcome,” Rana noted during the post-match press conference.
Additionally, the choice to use Sandeep Sharma as the bowler in the Super Over over Jofra Archer, who could have applied more pressure with his pace, raised eyebrows regarding RR’s decision-making.
Sandeep, who had bowled a final over that conceded 19 runs in DC's innings, was predictable with his slower deliveries, allowing KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs to secure the Super Over victory for the home team. Rana, however, believed that RR fell short of their target in the one-over eliminator.
“If Sandy had bowled that over, he’s someone who has experience in that role. His selection was probably the best option we had. I feel we were a few runs short, aiming for 15 runs in the Super Over, knowing that achieving that would give us a better chance to win,” he commented.
“When a team is chasing in the Super Over, the pressure of losing a wicket is always present. But Rahul played smartly, scoring a four over point. I believe that decision to let Sandeep bowl was justified. If we hadn't won, many questions would have arisen. But we went with our strategy,” he concluded.
When questioned about RR's Super Over tactics, DC captain Axar Patel expressed satisfaction with how things unfolded for them. “I wasn’t surprised by Nitish Rana’s absence. I expected Jaiswal to come in, and considering Hetmyer’s struggles, I thought Jaiswal and Riyan would be the options. But whoever came up was advantageous for us,” he remarked.
DC now leads the points table and will head to Ahmedabad to face the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, RR, currently in eighth place, will host the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on the same day for an evening match.
