Nitish Rana Reveals How It Took Rishabh Pant Only 3 Seconds To Convince Him To Join Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026

Nitish Rana revealed that Rishabh Pant convinced him to join Delhi Capitals for IPL 2026.

Nitish Rana shares how Rishabh Pant helped him decide to join Delhi Capitals

Nitish had been traded from Rajasthan Royals to Delhi Capitals in November 2025 before the retention deadline for his existing fee of 4.2 crore. In a video posted by the Capitals on X on March 12, Nitish Rana explained that Rishabh Pant was the only person he asked for advice before making the move.

He said he felt Pant was the right person to speak to because Pant had spent many years with the franchise and had also led the team.

Nitish added that Pant gave his answer in three seconds. Pant told him that joining Delhi Capitals would be the best decision for him.

“I asked only one person whether I should join DC or not, and that was Rishabh. He has played so much for this franchise and has also led the team, so he knows everything about it from inside,” Nitish said.

“He finished his answer in just three seconds and said there could not be anything better than this for you. Just quietly say yes. I still remember those exact words. He said it in three seconds, and after that I never asked him another question. What he said was enough for me, and after that I signed with DC,” he added.

In the previous season, while playing for Rajasthan Royals, he scored 217 runs in 11 matches at an average of 21.7 and a strike rate of 161.94. He missed the later part of the tournament after being ruled out due to injury.

Ahead of the IPL 2026 retention deadline, he was traded from RR to Delhi Capitals, while Donovan Ferreira moved from DC to Rajasthan Royals.

Nitish Rana IPL journey so far

In IPL 2026 Nitish will play for Delhi Capitals, which will be his fourth franchise in the competition. Earlier, he played for RR, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Mumbai Indians.

In total, he has played 118 matches and scored 2853 runs in 112 innings at an average of 27.97 and a strike rate of 136.76, including 20 half-centuries. He will finally be playing for his home city, as he represents Delhi in domestic cricket.

Delhi Capitals IPL 2026 Schedule for 1st Phase

Here are the fixtures of Delhi Capitals for IPL 2026 1st Phase.

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