Nitish Rana and Rishabh Pant (PTI)

Delhi Capitals’ newest recruit Nitish Rana has revealed that a short conversation with Rishabh Pant played a key role in his decision to return to his home franchise ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026 season.The experienced left-handed batter will represent the Delhi Capitals for the first time in his IPL career after being traded from Rajasthan Royals for INR 4.20 crore before the auction. For the 32-year-old, the move marks a long-awaited homecoming, having grown up in Delhi and now getting the chance to play for his home team in the league’s 19th edition starting March 28.

Rana heads into the season on the back of a prolific run in the Delhi Premier League last year, where he scored heavily and emerged as one of the competition’s standout batters. With confidence on his side, he will now look to replicate that form in the IPL.Speaking in a video shared by Delhi Capitals, Rana revealed that Pant was the only person he consulted before deciding to join the franchise.“There was only one person I asked whether I should join Delhi Capitals or not, and that was Rishabh. He has played a lot for this franchise and has also captained the team. He knows all the inside details about the setup. At that moment, I felt he was the right person to ask whether the decision I was about to take in my life was the correct one, because he understands me very well too.”Rana added that Pant’s response came almost instantly and left him with no doubts about the move.“He gave his answer in three seconds. He told me there could not be anything better than this for you. Just quietly say yes. I still remember his words exactly, he took only three seconds. After that, I never spoke about this matter again. What he said was enough, and after that I signed with Delhi Capitals.”Rana has enjoyed a long IPL journey, having previously represented Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals. His most notable stint came with Kolkata Knight Riders between 2018 and 2024, where he became a key member of the side. He even captained the team in 2023 in the absence of Shreyas Iyer and later played a role in their title-winning campaign in 2024.