Nitish Rana, a Delhi Capitals (DC) hitter, has said that star Indian cricketer and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant took only three seconds to convince him to join the franchise for the IPL 2026 season. The competition will begin later this month, on March 28.

In November 2025, before the retention deadline, Rana was moved to DC from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for his current fee of INR 4.2 crore.

On Thursday, March 12, Nitish Rana told the Delhi Capitals that before signing with the franchise, he asked Rishabh Pant if he should make the move. The 32-year-old shared that Pant finished his answer in three seconds, simply telling him to say yes, and that is how he decided to join the Delhi Capitals.

“There was only one person I asked whether I should join DC or not, and that was Rishabh. Because he has played so much for this franchise and has also led it, he knows everything, the ins and outs. So at that time, I felt he was the right person from whom I could take feedback about the decision I was going to make in my life, whether it would be right for me or not, because he knows me inside out as well.

He finished his answer in 3 seconds, saying that nothing could be better for you than this; just quietly say yes. I remember it word for word; he said it in 3 seconds, and after that, I never asked him again. What he said was enough, and after that I signed with DC,” Rana said in a video shared by Delhi Capitals.

To be noted, Rishabh Pant began his IPL career with DC in 2016 and continued with the franchise till 2024, even captaining them from 2021 to 2024, except for the 2023 season when he was out injured.

On the other hand, Nitish Rana is one of the most experienced batters in the IPL, having played 118 matches and scored 2,853 runs at an average of 27.97 and a strike rate of 136.77. He has also captained Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL as well.

Delhi Capitals will play their IPL 2026 opening game on April 1 against Rishabh Pant's Lucknow Super Giants at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow.