SMAT 2024: Ayush Badoni and Nitish Rana stage on-field spat

As Indian fans remain immersed in the Border Gavaskar Trophy action in Australia, the ongoing domestic season has earned a unique spot. India's mainstays like Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and Mohammed Shami are currently playing in the domestic T20 tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The season has reached the semi-final stage, with many impressive outings during its run this edition. In the latest update from the tournament, the quarter-final clash between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru witnessed a heated spat between Ayush Badoni and Nitish Rana.

Nitish Rana and Ayush Badoni engaged in a heated spat during the SMAT quarter-final

Ayush Badoni is leading the Delhi team in SMAT 2024, the same team that was formerly led by Nitish Rana. Rana's exit from the domestic side was not seamless, as Delhi replaced him as captain with Yash Dhull in 2022. The transition didn't sit well with the all-rounder, who then switched to Uttar Pradesh. Now, playing in the quarterfinal clash against his former team, Rana engaged in a standoff with Badoni during the first innings of the game.

During the first innings of the match when Delhi batted, Badoni and Rana were seen exchanging words in a heated moment. It all began in the 13th over, when Badoni, facing Rana’s delivery, saw the bowler abort his run-up. When Rana prepared to bowl again, Badoni stepped away from his stance, escalating the tension. After the ball was delivered, Rana charged towards Badoni, and the two players had an intense verbal exchange. The situation grew more tense, requiring the umpires to intervene and separate them.

Despite the altercation, Delhi emerged victorious by 19 runs, with Anuj Rawat playing a match-winning knock of 73 not out off 33 balls. Batting first, Delhi set a challenging target of 194, which Uttar Pradesh failed to chase as the Badoni-led team bowled them out for 174. Moreover, the spat between Badoni and Rana culminated in the Delhi skipper dismissing Rana for just 2 runs off 3 balls in the chase. Delhi will now face Madhya Pradesh in the SMAT semifinal on Friday, while Baroda takes on Mumbai in the other semifinal at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which will also host the final on Sunday.