Star Rajasthan Royals batter Nitish Rana etched his name in history for Rajasthan Royals after he scored a blistering half century in the first innings of the side’s game against Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL 2025.
Rajasthan Royals locked horns against Chennai Super Kings in game 11 of the ongoing IPL (Indian Premier League) 2025. Both sides faced off at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, on March 30, and the clash began with Royals coming into bat first after losing the toss.
The side opened their innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson. In the very first over, Jaiswal departed after hitting a boundary. After the fall of the first wicket, it was Nitish Rana’s turn to bat. The star batter put in an exceptional performance in the first innings, scoring 81 runs in 36 deliveries. It is interesting to note that Rana completed his half-century in just 22 balls. In doing so, the star batter became the first-ever Rajasthan Royals batter to score a half-century within the powerplay from No. 3 or lower in the IPL.
Overall, he became the fifth player to achieve the feat behind the likes of Suresh Raina, Moeen Ali, Ajinkya Rahane, and Wriddhiman Saha. Speaking of the game between RR and CSK, after Samson and Jaiswal’s dismissal, the onus fell onto the shoulders of Riyan Parag and Nitish Rana. Where Nitish put in an excellent performance, Riyan went with the stable approach and batted until the latter stages of the first innings.
The star batter scored 37 runs in 28 deliveries, alongside Shimron Hetmyer, who added 19 runs on the board as Rajasthan Royals posted a total of 182 in the first innings of the game. As for Chennai Super Kings, Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana, and Khaleel Ahmed were the highest wicket takers with two wickets each to their names. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket each as well. With a target of 183 runs, Chennai Super Kings will hope for a good performance as they aim to go for their second win of the season.
