LUCKNOW, June 26 -- After many ups and downs in the last two seasons, and criticism for being an "outsider", former Team India all-rounder and former Delhi skipper has decided to leave the Uttar Pradesh camp ahead of the 2025-26 domestic season. Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association on Wednesday confirmed Rana's move. "Both Nitish Rana and left-arm orthodox spinner Saurabh Kumar have taken their no-objection certificate to move out of Uttar Pradesh," UPCA's media committee chief Sanjay Kapoor said. Earlier this month, Baghpat's Kumar moved to Andhra Pradesh, but there is no confirmation about Rana's next destination. "He [Rana] is likely to play for his old team, Delhi, this season, but much will depend on Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) as Rana had left the state in a hurry after being removed from captaincy in 2023-24," said a DDCA official on the condition of anonymity. "It's not going to be an easy one for Rana to come back to Delhi as we already have a big bunch of quality and young players who have been doing well. If he comes back to Delhi, he will have to face a stiff challenge," he added. Sources in UPCA too confirmed that Rana's exit from the state was almost certain as his name was not even listed in this year's mini auction held for the third edition of the UPTwenty League, scheduled to be played in August-September in hybrid mode with match venues being split between Lucknow and Kanpur. Rana, 31, had a forgettable time playing for Uttar Pradesh as he could make only 111 runs in nine games of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He made only 17 runs in two Vijay Hazare Trophy games before being omitted from the team. The situation wasn't that great in the Ranji Trophy, too, as he could score 150 runs in four games before being left out of the team. "Now, a local player may get a chance to play in his [Rana's] place in Uttar Pradesh teams. We have no dearth of talented cricketers in Uttar Pradesh,' said a member of UPCA's selection committee on Wednesday. Rana had captained Delhi before switching to play for Uttar Pradesh in 2023. Rana, who played one ODI and two T20Is for India, had a disappointing IPL 2025 season as well. With the Rajasthan Royals, he could score only 217 runs in 11 matches before he was ruled out of the competition due to a calf injury. Rana's journey for Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year was marked with controversies, as during the quarterfinal match against his old side Delhi, he had a heated argument with Delhi captain Ayush Badoni, which led to the on-field umpires intervening and separating the duo. "UPCA should not entertain outsiders even if they are friends with international cricketers from Uttar Pradesh. I feel a few outsiders, who are still in teams of Uttar Pradesh, should be axed as they are only usurping the chances of homegrown cricketers," said a UPCA insider. "Not only the cricketers, but the coaches from other states shouldn't be entertained by the UPCA as we already have cricketers and coaches with a proven track record of excellence," he said, adding, "The cricket development committee of UPCA has already insisted on the axing of outsiders from Uttar Pradesh cricket."...