Sunrisers Hyderabad may not have been at their very best with the bat, but they are finding themselves in the top four of the ongoing Indian Premier League. Even with senior seamers under pressure and overseas options disrupted by injury issues, SRH have managed to keep moving forward—Travis Head still searching for his peak impact, yet different players stepping up at different moments across six matches. The result has been a campaign with just three victories, but enough to keep the franchise inside the play-off picture.
While SRH’s younger bowling group—featuring Ehsan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Shivang Kumar and Praful Hinge—has flashed at key times, Nitish Reddy’s two-way influence has quietly become a defining thread in their season. The standout aspect has been how he has consistently taken on bowling duties across phases of the innings: during the Powerplay, in the middle overs, and at the death. Those spells have often helped SRH plug gaps in their plans, especially when the batting side hasn’t been able to go on a full-throttle assault for long stretches.
The clearest example arrived in SRH’s most recent outing against Chennai Super Kings, when the side had to operate with one bowler short and effectively rely on their fifth bowling option being delivered by all-round resources. Reddy rose to the occasion with the ball, finishing with figures of 2 for 31 from his four overs. Importantly, he delivered both early and late—bowling during the Powerplay as well as in the final overs—and SRH went on to defend their 194-run total, winning by 10 runs.
Reddy’s impact with wickets was also crucial to SRH’s cause. He removed Sanju Samson and Ayush Mhatre, establishing momentum that SRH were able to maintain through the chase. In fact, all four of his wickets this season have come when he is attacking either the good length or aiming at the back-of-the-length area. On those deliveries, he has conceded only 77 runs in 57 balls, translating to an economy rate of 8.1. His effectiveness drops when he goes too full or too short, underlining the importance of his length discipline.
James Franklin, SRH’s assistant coach, highlighted Reddy’s progress as a cricketer but also stressed that the bigger test is sustaining it over the duration of a long tournament. Speaking on Monday ahead of SRH’s match against Delhi Capitals in Hyderabad, Franklin said it was encouraging to see Nitish play with the approach he has shown so far in the IPL this year. He added that last season—by Reddy’s own assessment—did not quite reach the standards he expected, and that the previous campaign served as a valuable learning period.
Franklin also pointed to how Reddy has been trusted with different bowling responsibilities, whether that means taking the new ball or coming in during the middle overs. The coach noted that this versatility has helped him create match-changing opportunities that have resulted in wickets. Franklin further underlined the improvement in pace compared to last year, and praised how Reddy has been planning his overs while sequencing deliveries to different batters. “So his form is really encouraging for us at the moment,” Franklin said, while acknowledging the challenge of maintaining it as the tournament stretches out.
Even so, Franklin was equally keen to acknowledge Reddy’s contribution with the bat, even if most of his innings have arrived as brief cameos rather than long knocks. Reddy has struck a 13-ball 28 against Rajasthan Royals, a 24-ball 39 against Kolkata Knight Riders, and a 33-ball 56 against Lucknow Super Giants. The most significant common thread in those innings is timing: each of these scores came after SRH lost wickets in quick succession and needed someone to steady the innings through the middle overs while still keeping the option of acceleration alive.
Balancing responsibility—protecting the innings while still looking to attack—has helped Reddy total 136 runs this season at a strike rate of 160. Franklin summed up his batting value by calling his performances “brilliant with the bat,” and said the franchise has seen a strong bounce-back this year. The next challenge, he suggested, is to hold that level throughout the remainder of the competition. He also stressed that Reddy has been part of several vital partnerships, particularly alongside Heinrich Klaasen.
