Nitish Rana takes indirect dig at Shreyas Iyer as PBKS lose IPL final

Team India middle-order batter Nitish Rana took an indirect dig at Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer during the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Rana recently shared a story on his official Instagram account, with many fans claiming it was a dig at the 30-year-old cricketer.

Nitish Rana was bought by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Rs 4.20 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction. The left-handed batter scored 217 runs at an average of 21.70 and an impressive strike rate of 161.94, with his highest score being 81. Rajasthan finished second last on the points table with four wins.

Nitish Rana Takes a Subtle Dig at Shreyas Iyer During IPL 2025?

Nitish Rana posted an Instagram story about Bruno Fernandes turning down a move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal despite financial incentives. Many fans called it a subtle criticism of Shreyas Iyer, who left Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after leading them to the 2024 IPL title.

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Watch the post of the same posted by a user on X (formerly known as Twitter) below:

NO SHREYAS IYER HARMED.@NitishRana_27 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/bIPqeXBswX

— कट्टर INDIA समर्थक 🦁🇮🇳 ™ (@KKRWeRule) June 4, 2025

Shreyas Iyer Joined the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022

Shreyas Iyer joined Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022 after being bought for ₹12.5 crore. He was one of the most experienced captains in the IPL and played a key role in leading KKR to their first title in a decade. Iyer was not retained by KKR for the next cycle and entered the auction pool.

Many expected Iyer to continue his journey with KKR after guiding them to their third IPL championship. However, the franchise decided to retain other key players like Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, and Ramandeep Singh instead.

KKR didn’t show interest in re-signing Iyer, as their salary cap constraints forced them to drop out once the bidding crossed ₹10 crore. Punjab Kings secured him for ₹26.75 crore following a fierce bidding war in the IPL 2025 auction.

Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings Lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2025 Final

The Indian Premier League 2025 ended on Tuesday, June 3, with the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings. The Rajat Patidar-led team clinched their first-ever title with a six-run victory at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

After being asked to bat first, RCB posted a decent total of 190 for 9. Virat Kohli was the top scorer for RCB with 43 runs off 35 balls. Arshdeep Singh and Kyle Jamieson picked up three wickets each for PBKS.

PBKS batsmen showed some promising starts, but RCB’s bowlers maintained pressure with timely wickets. Shashank Singh scored an unbeaten 61 off 30 balls that took PBKS close, but it was not enough, as they finished at 184 for 7.

This win ended RCB’s 17-season wait for their maiden IPL trophy. Krunal Pandya was named Player of the Match for his 2 wickets for 17 runs.

Also read: Mohammad Haris makes unbelievable 210-places jump in ICC T20I Batting Rankings