Who is Nitish Kumar Reddy? How an Uncapped Player Suddenly Came into Limelight?

Nitish Kumar Reddy, an Andhra all-rounder, came to the limelight when Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) needed someone on whom SRH could rely in the middle and Reddy was the perfect choice for this as he not only smashed his maiden IPL fifty but also delivered on the promise he showed in domestic cricket, including the Ranji Trophy, where he scored 366 runs, including 159 against Bihar. Reddy, a batter, aspires to be the best all-rounder in the world, similar to Hardik Pandya and Ben Stokes.

He aspires to be the greatest all-rounder

The 20-year-old Reddy began his career as an opening batter for Andhra but shifted to No. 3 in the Vinoo Mankad Under-19 tournament in 2018-19. Everyone got their first look at Reddy at the BCCI annual awards 2017/18 when a graceful 15-year-old cricketer won the Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy for being the U16 star of the year.

Reddy rose through the ranks of domestic cricket, batting in the top order before falling to No. 3/4 for Andhra at the senior level as he improved his bowling. Reddy admitted that it was difficult to begin the batting when bowling at pace. Because he didn't give up on his bowling, he evolved into a batting all-rounder with medium pace.

Reddy had phenomenal domestic season

He was selected in the IPL auction 2023 by the Sunrisers Hyderabad at his base price of INR 20 lakh, although he only played two games, both as a bowler. However, following a stellar Ranji season in which he constantly provided runs for Andhra at No. 7/8 while also taking numerous wickets. Reddy finished the season with 25 wickets from seven matches, including a five-wicket haul against Mumbai. After a successful domestic season in the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, Reddy has continued his form into the IPL and is now demonstrating his abilities, particularly with the bat in the middle and lower order for SRH.

Reddy was given the No. 4 slot by the Sunrisers and, after showing his abilities against the Chennai Super Kings, stood up when wickets were falling all around him. Reddy started slowly but came into his own against Harpreet Brar, hitting him for a handful of fours and as many sixes.

Reddy hammered his first IPL fifty, and despite being out for 64, he has solidified his place in the SRH lineup and will be aiming for more of the same in the next games.