Star India batter Nitish Rana is all set to return to his home state of Delhi for the 2025-26 domestic season, as he marks a return after leaving for Uttar Pradesh two years ago, according to a report in The Times of India. He last represented UP in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in December. Rana had moved to Uttar Pradesh from Delhi in 2023. He led UP that season but they could only finish sixth among eight teams in their group. Rana scored 297 runs in six matches that season, at an average of 37.12 with one hundred to his name. “Apna ghar to apna hi hota hai (Nothing comes close to your home). Yes, he will be playing for Delhi this season. I had asked him not to move out then, also. He didn’t have a great season with Uttar Pradesh,” Rana’s coach Sanjay Bharadwaj told The Times of India. “As a professional cricketer, you have too much pressure. It’s a wise decision from him to return to Delhi. This is where he has played all his cricket, right from the age-group level,” Bharadwaj added. Rana featured in just two List A games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, managing just 17 runs, before he was dropped. He was forced out of the Ranji Trophy side after a string of low scores. Rana’s return doesn’t guarantee him a place in the Delhi team, but he will be part of the second season of the Delhi Premier League, which will have eight franchises this time around. “This is not a dump station. When he asked for the No Objection Certificate in 2023, we had requested him to stay and play for Delhi. He will have to earn his spot. There is no guarantee that he will get a chance right away,” a source close to the development told The Times of India. Rana had an underwhelming IPL 2025 with the Rajasthan Royals, who bought him for Rs 4.2 crore in the mega auction. It needs to be seen how Rana will be welcomed back to the Delhi unit, as he was involved in a heated exchange with Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni in the quarterfinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2024.