Nitish Rana backs RR's super over call despite being benched in crunch time

In a match that had fans glued to their screens, Rajasthan Royals batter Nitish Rana delivered a stellar 28-ball 51 to help push the game into a Super Over against Delhi Capitals. But what followed shocked fans and experts alike—Rana, arguably RR’s best batter on the night, was benched during the most critical moment of the match.

Despite being in red-hot form, Rana was not sent out to bat in the Super Over. Instead, Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer took the field but could manage only 11 runs. A misjudged shot from Parag and another runout involving Jaiswal derailed RR’s momentum, eventually leading to a defeat as DC chased the target with two balls to spare.

The decision sparked widespread criticism. Social media buzzed with questions: Why was Rana not sent in? Why bench your best performer in crunch time?

At the post-match press conference, Rana finally addressed the call and stood firmly by the team’s collective decision.

"The management takes the call, not one person. The captain is there along with two other senior players and coaches. If Shimron Hetmyer had hit two sixes, then you wouldn't be asking this question. I will give the same answer. I don't have any other answer. Whatever decisions we took were absolutely right. Hetmyer is our finisher, whom everyone knows. He has delivered in the past," Rana said.

"One person never takes such calls. Management and support staff are there to discuss such things. If the decision was in our favour, then your question would have been different. Cricket is a result-oriented sport. If Sandeep Sharma had bowled well in the Super Over, which he has done in the past. In this situation, he was most likely the bowler for us. We were one big shot less. We were targeting 15 runs in the Super Over," he added.

Rana’s composed response offered no controversy—but it left fans wondering: when the stakes were highest, why was RR’s best batter watching from the sidelines?