Nitish Kumar Reddy The 20-year-old from Andhra Pradesh, a rare seam-bowling all-rounder in India, is a batting hit for SRH and awaits T20 refinement with the ball. In his first season of getting regular game time in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Nitish Kumar Reddy is a raw talent who is showing serious spark. In the normal scheme of things, you would wait for 20-year-olds to produce performances of a certain level for at least a couple of seasons in domestic cricket and IPL before talking them up.
Except that Nitish Kumar Reddy is a seam bowling all-rounder. Very few in India are able to do what Nitish Kumar Reddy does — bat in the top six and bowl medium-pace — that you have to rejoice at the arrival of such a prospect.
Nitish Kumar Reddy in IPL 2024
As part of Sunrisers Hyderabad, who secured a playoffs berth before their final league game win over Punjab Kings on Sunday, Nitish Kumar Reddy has stepped up particularly with the bat — he has made 276 runs in 10 games (average 46, strike rate 151.64) including two half-centuries. In the process, Nitish Kumar Reddy has underlined his rise even as Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have repeatedly grabbed the headlines at the top of the order. He has also chipped in with three scalps across 12.1 overs.
Picked by Sunrisers at a base price of ₹20 lakh, Nitish Kumar Reddy went unnoticed in his debut season in 2023, bowling five wicketless overs across two games while not getting to bat. This season too, he wasn’t thrust into the spotlight immediately. He had to wait until Sunrisers’ fourth game for an opportunity, and the youngster from Andhra hasn’t looked back since.
The decisive moment for Nitish Kumar Reddy came in his second game against Punjab Kings. With the Sunrisers openers, otherwise riding roughshod over opponents, enduring a rare quiet outing, Nitish Kumar Reddy came in at No.4 in a surprise move that was perhaps aimed at preserving Heinrich Klaasen for the latter overs. What followed was as unexpected as it was remarkable.
Nitish Kumar Reddy led the show with a stroke-filled 64 (37 balls, 4×4, 5×6) that took SRH to 182/9 for a two-run win. By pulling the pacers and reverse-sweeping the spinners for boundaries, Nitish Kumar Reddy showed the kind of range befitting a young and fearless batter.
Even his captain at state team Andhra, Ricky Bhui, has been taken aback by how convincing Reddy has looked at No.4. Although Reddy played seven games for Andhra in the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy season, it was with the ball that he had made a mark, taking 25 wickets in seven games at a strike rate of 37.6 to end as his team’s highest wicket-taker.
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been one of the breakout stars of the IPL 2024 season and an important part of his team. However, he had a forgetful IPL 2023 season where he played just two games, and was surprised that he got retained for the following season.
Nitish Kumar Reddy was surprised by SRH retaining him for IPL 2024
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been one of the upcoming stars of the IPL 2024 season and an important part of his team. However, he had a forgetful IPL 2023 season where he played just two games, and was surprised that he got retained for the following season.
Reddy’s disappointment was understandable as he had conceded 54 runs in five overs that he had bowled last season in the two games he played. He accepted that he knew he had to work harder since the SunRisers Hyderabad management showed faith in his ability.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Nitish Kumar Reddy opened up on his reaction to SRH retaining him. He said:
“Even I thought no one is going to pick me and suddenly SRH retained me (after poor IPL 2023). I was like, ‘I have to work a little more’.”
Although SRH are playing an ultra-attacking brand of cricket this season, it has come with times where they have lost wickets in a bunch and needed someone to steady the ship. Nitish Kumar Reddy has performed that role well as he added:
“We know it’s not going to work every time. It’s not like we will go hard on opponents all the time, but one bad game, one bad ball, such things happen and we have to be prepared for early wickets. I’ve been thinking at the back of my mind for this situation that if the team is going to collapse, I have to be ready for that situation.”
Reddy is enjoying a fine season with the bat with 276 runs in 10 matches at an average of 46 and a strike rate of 151.65.
Nitish Kumar Reddy on his role for SRH in IPL 2024
Nitish Kumar Reddy’s 64 off 37 balls against the Punjab Kings is one of his favorite knocks as it came at a time when the SunRisers needed someone to step up and absorb pressure. On this, he stated:
“I just love playing these kinds of innings. I don’t really feel satisfied when the team scores 270 and I score 50 or 40 runs of those. But when the team really needs me, like when we are 4 for 10 or something like that, and I can go there and take the team till the end or the last over… I want to showcase that because that’s what my role is.”
Reddy hasn’t really bowled much and one of the main reasons for that is the impact player rule. He has picked up three wickets at an economy rate of 11.51. However, the youngster is determined to keep learning from experienced bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the SRH setup and become a genuine all-rounder.