Nitish Rana is no stranger to the Indian Premier League, having played for high-profile sides such as the Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders since the 2016 edition. Captaincy, on the other hand, is still uncharted terrain for the left-hander, who has only led Delhi 23 times in domestic competitions and 12 times in T20s.
Rana had to wait a long time after making his début for DDCA in the 2013 season before receiving the captain’s armband. And when it did, it wasn’t there for long. The stylish southpaw drew unwanted notice during his captaincy stints for Delhi, and unfavorable outcomes and questionable tactics brought an end to his captaincy tenure.
In the previous season, Rana was appointed the white-ball skipper for the season but Delhi’s early exits in both Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy forced the selectors, led by Gagan Khoda, to remove Nitish as captain and give the command to young Yash Dhull.