In 17th match of the DPL 2025, East Delhi Riders held their nerve to beat West Delhi Lions by just 2 runs in a heart-stopping finish. Batting first, the Riders put up a fighting score, thanks to a superb knock from Arpit Rana, and then sealed the game with tight bowling in the final overs.

The Riders didn’t start well, losing Sujal Singh early for 7. But Arpit Rana played a brilliant innings of 47 runs from 31 balls, hitting 7 fours and 3 sixes. Hardik Sharma added 37 from 27 balls, while Rounak Waghela’s quick 12 from 6 balls helped take the score to 158.

Chasing 159, the Lions came out swinging as Ankit Kumar smashed 42 off just 16 balls in the powerplay. Krish Yadav kept the chase alive with 44 from 39 balls, but timely wickets of Ayush Doseja (26) and Mayank Gusain (27) slowed them down. Bowlers Mayank Rawat (2/18) and Rounak Waghela (2/32) were spot on at the death. In the end, the Lions needed 3 runs off the last ball but could only take a single, giving the Riders a thrilling 2-run win.

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Nitish Rana could not have asked for a better homecoming. After two years away, the former Delhi captain returned to play in front of his home fans and showed why he is still one of the best. After a quiet IPL 2025 season with Rajasthan Royals, Nitish wanted to get back in form before the new domestic season. In the IPL, he hardly bowled, but for West Delhi Lions in the DPL, he decided to use his off‑spin and it paid off.

Nitish was the most economical bowler for his team, giving away only 18 runs in 3 overs, the same as Hrithik Shokeen. He also took an important wicket, removing Arpit Rana just when East Delhi Riders were looking settled. He mixed up his pace and bowled wide so the batters couldn’t attack him easily. Before the tournament, Nitish admitted he was unsure about returning to Delhi. “I knew it wouldn’t be easy because there’s so much talent here. I didn’t want to take someone else’s place or cause any problems,” he said.

After shining with the ball, Nitish showed his real strength batting. Chasing 81 from the last 10 overs, he walked in and changed the game straight away. He smashed 39 runs from just 15 balls, hitting cleanly and taking the game away from East Delhi Riders. He got out caught behind, but by then the job was done. West Delhi Lions won by 7 wickets with 15 balls left, giving their net run rate a big boost. For Nitish, it was a dream return proving he still has the skill, the power, and the love for the game.

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East Delhi Riders and West Delhi Lions will play the fourth match of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025 on August 4 at 2:00 PM IST at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. This head-to-head will be a critical contest early on, with East Delhi Riders intending to continue their winning streak, while West Delhi Lions start their DPL 2025 campaign on an encouraging note.

In the opening match of the season, East Delhi Riders thrashing of South Delhi Superstarz by five wickets has set the tone of the season and they will be aiming to continue the good form. The team seemed settled under the leadership of Anuj Rawat, who was also the wicketkeeper. The presence of Navdeep Saini in the bowling unit offers experience and pace. Meanwhile, the West Delhi Lions, captained by seasoned campaigner Nitish Rana, will look to use the experience of Ishant Sharma and the youthful energy of Vedant Sehwag and Shuvank Vashisht to get off the mark in the tournament.

EDR vs WDL: Match Details

• Match: East Delhi Riders vs West Delhi Lions
• Date: August 4, 2025
• Time: 2:00 PM IST
• Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
• Tournament: Delhi Premier League 2025 – Match 4

EDR vs WDL: Live Streaming Details

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EDR vs WDL: Predicted Playing XIs

East Delhi Riders:
Sujal Singh, Arpit Rana, Anuj Rawat (capt & wk), Hardik Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Rohan Rathi, Rounak Waghela, Navdeep Saini, Akhil Chaudhary, Ajay Ahlawat, Ashish Meena

West Delhi Lions:
Nitish Rana (capt), Manan Bhardwaj, Ankit Kumar, Vikas Rana, Vedant Sehwag, Vishal Abhua (wk), Shuvank Vashisht, Ishant Sharma, Shubham Dubey, Shantanu Yadav, Anirudh Chowdhary