3 reasons why RR signing Nitish Rana at IPL 2025 Auction is the right move

Rajasthan Royals (RR), the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2008 champions, roped in batting all-rounder Nitish Rana at the 2025 auction. The former champions acquired the services of the left-hander for INR 4.20 crore.

Rana missed out on the last season due to injury and was ruled out after having played just two matches for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, he brings in experience of having played in the cash-rich league from 2016 and also has domestic experience.

Nitish Rana has played 107 IPL matches and has scored 2636 runs including 18 half-centuries as well. He has not bowled a lot in the league and has picked up just 10 wickets.

However, he can prove to be a key addition to any side and can start in the playing XI for the Rajasthan Royals, bolstering their squad ahead of the season. After missing out on the previous season, Nitish Rana will be key to bounce back and contribute to the success of the team as well.

Here are three reasons why Rana is a top-notch addition to the team:

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#3 Nitish Rana has been among the runs consistently in IPL

While Nitish Rana missed out on the 2024 IPL season, he has consistently scored runs in the league in the last three full seasons that he played. He had his best season in 2023, where he scored 413 runs from 14 matches at a healthy strike-rate of 140.95 with three half-centuries.

In the 2022 season, Rana scored 361 runs from 14 games at a strike-rate of 143.82 with two half-centuries to his name. In 2021, the left-hander scored 383 runs while in 2020, he scored 352 runs.

As evident, he has scored over 350 runs consistently in every season since 2020 and has proven his worth in the league with the bat. He can contribute significantly with the bat for the Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming seasons.

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#2 Rana is the perfect fit for Rajasthan Royals in the batting order

While Rajasthan Royals have dynamic batters in their line-up such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, and Riyan Parag, Nitish Rana could be the perfect fit in this batting order.

Any team would ideally require a batter who can play spin well in the middle overs which is always a key factor for success. The 30-year-old left-hander is a middle-order batter by role and is known to play spin well.

Nitish Rana is also decent against pace and can be flexible with his batting position in the middle order. Moreover, his being a left-handed batter in the middle comes as an added bonus for the Royals.

Moreover, his inclusion allows Samson to open the batting as well.

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#1 He can bring stability to the batting and offers some bowling as well

In the likes of Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, and Riyan Parag, Rajasthan Royals have a good set of power hitters in their line-up. However, in the middle-order, someone like Nitish Rana can prove to be a solid option.

He has the ability to score at a decent pace but also brings stability to the batting unit as other power-hitters can bat around him while he can hold one end. His ability to play spin well, as mentioned above, comes as a bonus.

Rana has scored 4581 runs from 185 T20s. While he has not bowled a lot in the IPL, Rana's occasional off-spin is always an option that the team can look to utilize should the need arise.