IPL 2022: Nitish Rana slashes a fierce cut off Umran Malik; breaks fridge glass at the SRH dugout

The Kolkata Knight Riders lost their top order including skipper Shreyas Iyer with hardly anything on the board after being put in to bat first during their IPL 2022 encounter against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on April 15. While KKR lost wickets at regular intervals, it was the middle-order sensation Nitish Rana who held the innings from one end and carried out the rescue act.

However, during his enterprising knock, Rana hit a six which not only cleared the ropes successfully but also did some damage as his shot ended up shattering the fridge glass where water bottles and beverages are kept for the players as well as the support staff. This is not the first instance where the southpaw’s shot has resulted in property damage. He had broken the lens of the camera last season.

Nitish Rana smartly uses Umran Malik’s pace

On one of the deliveries bowled at the middle and leg stump line, Nitish Rana slashed it through the offside and the ball just landed outside the ropes which resulted in a six. After the first bounce, the ball made its way straight into the fridge glass in the SRH dugout and ended up shattering it. Luckily, nothing untoward happened, and a player who was sitting nearby had a narrow escape after the glass broke. Meanwhile, Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson also applauded the shot with a smile.

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— Diving Slip (@SlipDiving) April 15, 2022

Nitish Rana went on to score a half-century in 32 balls, finishing with 54 off 36 deliveries at an impressive strike rate of 150, including six fours and two sixes. He played a great knock under pressure just when SRH looked to be in complete control of the proceedings. T Natarajan was impressive. He troubled the batters with his unplayable deliveries, one of which castled opener Venkatesh Iyer, who looked in good touch. He, along with the Caribbean power-hitter Andre Russell, took KKR to a competitive total.