Injury Rules Out Nitish Rana from Remainder of IPL 2025; RR Signs South Africa’s Lhuan-dre Pretorius as Replacement

Nitish Rana has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season due to injury. In response, Rajasthan Royals have signed South African wicketkeeper-batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius as his replacement.

Rana, who missed Rajasthan’s recent match against Kolkata Knight Riders, finishes his IPL 2025 campaign with 217 runs from 11 matches at a strike rate of 161.94. He registered two half-centuries, with a top score of 81.

Replacing him is Pretorius, a left-handed wicketkeeper-batter known for his aggressive style. He represents the Titans in South Africa’s domestic circuit and has played for Paarl Royals in the SA20 League. In the most recent SA20 season, Pretorius was the tournament’s top scorer, amassing 397 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 166.81.

Across 33 T20 matches, the 23-year-old has scored 911 runs at an average of 27.60 and a strike rate of 147.17, including six fifties. He joins Rajasthan Royals for his base price of ₹30 lakh.

Though Rajasthan is now out of playoff contention, they still have two matches remaining—one against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai, and another at home in Jaipur against Punjab Kings.