Nitish Rana faced trouble after losing his cool during the high-voltage IPL 2025 clash between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday night (April 11).
Nitish Rana, who was not part of Delhi Capitals’ playing eleven but was among the impact substitutes, has been penalized for breaching the IPL code of conduct during a tense moment in Chennai.
Tristan Stubbs refuses to change gloves, Nitish Rana leaves in anger
In fact, the Delhi player got into a heated argument with the fourth umpire near the boundary line at the MA Chidambaram Stadium after Tristan Stubbs was not allowed to change his wet gloves in the 19th over of DC’s match against CSK on Saturday.
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Stubbs had asked for a change of gloves as his gloves were completely wet, making it difficult for him to play the shot. Even Karun Nair was ready with the new pair, but the umpires rejected the request, as it would have delayed the game. This decision came as a shock to the DC camp.
Rana immediately approached the umpire and tried to explain that playing with wet gloves was not only inconvenient but also risky. Sadly, Stubbs was forced to continue and lost his wicket on the next ball and Delhi Capitals lost the match to Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs.
Tristan Stubbs wanted to change his gloves,
But the umpire did not allow this.
He was out on the very next ball. Disappointed,
Nitish Rana was seen arguing with the boundary umpire, while Stubbs reacted angrily by throwing his helmet and bat.#CSKvsDC .. #DCvsCSK .. #IPL2026 .… pic.twitter.com/9Ib6mAs8aD
– Infinite Info (@infiniteInfos) 11 April 2026
Nitish Rana fined after argument with umpire
During a heated argument at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Rana used abusive language in frustration with the fourth umpire. As a result, the DC batsman has been fined 25% of his match fee and also given one demerit point for losing his temper at the match official.
His mistake falls under a Level 1 offense in IPL rules, which relates to conduct and discipline on the field. According to IPL rules, any language that can be heard over the stump microphone or by others including the spectators is considered a violation.
Rana admitted his mistake and agreed to the punishment given by the match referee, hence there will be no further hearing in this matter. “Delhi Capitals batsman Nitish Rana has been fined 25% of his match fee and also collected 1 demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the IPL Code of Conduct for Players,” the IPL said in an official media release.
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The release further read: “Rana was found to have breached Article 2.3 of the IPL Code of Conduct, which relates to ‘use of audible obscenity during a match’.” The incident occurred in the 19th over when Rana got into an argument with the fourth umpire for a long time. Rana admitted the offense and accepted the match referee’s punishment.
Delhi Capitals is in trouble in IPL 2026
Delhi Capitals is gradually getting into trouble as it has lost two consecutive matches while chasing the target. Earlier, DC had lost by one run against Gujarat Titans in Delhi, and now they were bowled out for 189, trailing by 23 runs against CSK in Chennai.
However, DC is still fourth in the points table, and the good thing is that their net run rate is still positive. But now, to stop this losing streak, they will have to make a strong comeback in their next IPL 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 18 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.