NEW DELHI: South Delhi Superstarz's spinner Digvesh Rathi and West Delhi Lions captain Nitish Rana were slapped with heavy fines for their heated exchange during the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025 Eliminator at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

The organisers of the DPL have decided to impose fines on several players, with Rathi fined 80 percent of his match fee for a Code of Conduct breach under Article 2.2 - "conduct contrary to the spirit of the game."

Rana was fined 50 percent of his match fee for a Code of Conduct breach under Article 2.6 (Level 1), which pertains to "using a gesture that is obscene, offensive, or insulting during a match."

The incident unfolded when Rana struck Rathi for a six, which prompted the bowler to hurl verbal volleys at the batter. The exchange had its roots earlier in the over, when Rathi stopped just as he was about to deliver the ball.

Rana decided to give Rathi a taste of his own medicine and pulled away on the next delivery. However, things took a bitter turn after Rathi was hit for a six, as the duo almost came to blows before being separated.

Rana smashed an unbeaten 134 off 55 balls, guiding his team to a thrilling chase of 202 and securing their place in Qualifier 2 against the East Delhi Riders.