Loyalty is expensive, but performance? Old post of Nitish-Saachi resurfaces amid batter's poor form
Nitish Rana’s stint with Rajasthan Royals has so far been disappointing, with the batter managing only 11 and 8 runs in the two innings he has played for his new team. His underwhelming performance has drawn the attention of critics, who are revisiting the controversy surrounding the cricketer and his wife, Saachi Marwah, from November last year. The couple had expressed their discontent when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) failed to retain Rana in the 2025 IPL mega auction, despite him having captained the team for a period in 2023.
Rana, a key player for KKR since 2018, was overlooked by the franchise ahead of the auction, despite his consistent run-scoring, with more than 200 runs in most seasons, excluding 2024 when injury curtailed his appearances. Following the snub, Rana was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for INR 4.20 crore. Marwah shared a cryptic social media post: “Loyalty is very expensive, not everyone can afford it.” Rana also posted an Instagram story with the caption, “Royal-ty is pink!” indicating his new association with Rajasthan.
However, following Rana's poor performances with the bat, critics are now justifying KKR's decision to let go of the seasoned player, especially considering the emotional response from Rana and his wife when he was dropped from the team.
In the IPL match on Wednesday, Rajasthan Royals were restricted to 151/9, thanks to a disciplined bowling performance from Kolkata Knight Riders. Varun Chakravarthy (2/17 in 4 overs) and Moeen Ali (2/23 in 4 overs) exploited the conditions with spin, while seamer Vaibhav Arora (2/33 in 4 overs) used clever changes of pace to take crucial wickets. Pacer Harshit Rana also claimed two wickets.
Neither Yashasvi Jaiswal (29 off 24 balls) nor stand-in skipper Riyan Parag (25 off 15 balls) could capitalise on their starts, as Rajasthan Royals lost wickets at regular intervals. Dhruv Jurel top-scored with 33 off 28 balls.
Brief Scores:
Rajasthan Royals 151/9 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 33, Yashasvi Jaiswal 29, Varun Chakravarthy 2/17, Moeen Ali 2/23) vs Kolkata Knight Riders.