West Delhi Lions Clinch DPL Title
West Delhi Lions were crowned champions of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025 after a commanding six-wicket win over Central Delhi Kings in a thrilling final at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. Skipper Nitish Rana once again rose to the occasion, smashing an unbeaten 79 to guide his side to victory while chasing 174.
The Lions were jolted early as Central Delhi Kings’ pacers Simarjeet Singh and Arun Pundir struck in quick succession, leaving West Delhi struggling at 48/3 in just the fifth over.
“𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉-𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒂 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂 𝑫𝑷𝑳 𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒕.
Rana Anchors the Chase
Nitish Rana first steadied the ship alongside Mayank Gusain, adding 42 crucial runs before Gusain fell for 15. Rana then partnered with Hrithik Shokeen, whose composed 42* off 27 balls allowed the skipper to unleash his attacking stroke play. Their unbroken partnership ensured the Lions crossed the finish line comfortably, nullifying the Kings’ bowling threat.
“𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒂’𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆,” 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒉𝒊 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓.
Central Delhi Kings’ Fightback Falls Short
Earlier, Central Delhi Kings recovered from a shaky start to post a competitive 173/7 in 20 overs. The top order crumbled quickly, leaving the Kings reeling at 78/6. However, a seventh-wicket partnership of 78 between Yugal Saini (65 off 48) and Pranshu Vijayran (50* off 24) revived their innings and gave them momentum.
Despite the spirited effort, the Lions’ bowlers, led by Manan Bhardwaj (2/11), Shivank Vashisht (2/12), and Rana himself (1/16), ensured the Kings’ late surge wasn’t enough.
Nitish Rana once again proved his match-winning credentials, sealing the DPL 2025 title for West Delhi Lions in style.
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