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Nitish Rana Not Eligible To Play DPL 2025 Due To BCCI's Unique Rule; Details Inside

Rajgeeta Yadav

Nitish Rana not eligible to play DPL [Source: IPL/X.com]Nitish Rana not eligible to play DPL [Source: IPL/X.com]

Just days before the big Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025 auction, there’s some important news about Nitish Rana, the well-known cricketer and former captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). According to sources from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Rana will not be allowed to play in this season’s DPL.

Why Is Nitish Rana Not Allowed To Play?

Nitish Rana recently returned to play for Delhi after spending two seasons with the Uttar Pradesh (UP) cricket team. Even though he got permission from UP to switch back to Delhi, BCCI rules say a player must wait for 12 months before playing local T20 tournaments for a new state team. This waiting time is called a “cooling-off period.”

Since Rana played in the UP T20 league just a few months ago, he has not completed this 12-month cooling-off period. That means he cannot play in the DPL this year. 

A BCCI source confirmed to Cricblogger, “Unfortunately, the 12-month cooling-off rule does not allow Rana to participate in the DPL this season. He has taken a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from UP and is eligible to represent Delhi officially, but he can only play the DPL next year.”

What Happened With His State Switch?

In 2023, Rana moved from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh to try and improve his cricket career in longer matches. He even captained the UP team but didn’t have great success in white-ball formats. Recently, he decided to come back to Delhi and got a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from UP, which is necessary for such moves.

Ashok Sharma, the secretary of Delhi’s cricket association, said Rana has talked to them and got the NOC, but Delhi has not yet officially received the document. Only after the NOC is officially received can Delhi confirm his eligibility for tournaments.

Since the UP Cricket Association’s T20 league and the Delhi Premier League happen around the same time, Rana’s recent playing for UP makes him ineligible for the DPL this season.

On the cricketing front, Nitish Rana was last seen in action during the IPL 2025 season for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), but he had a tough season, scoring 217 runs at an average of 21.7. During his time with UP, he played several matches but struggled in the shorter formats.