Nitish Kumar Reddy

Nitish Kumar Reddy first made headlines as an Under-16 with a record-breaking 1237 runs in the 2017-18 Vijay Merchant Trophy, including a triple-century and a remarkable 441 against Nagaland. His international debut was similarly fairy-tale. Thrown into the cauldron of an Australia-India series down under, he delivered with five wickets and valuable lower-order runs: three forties in Perth and Adelaide, and a first Test hundred at the MCG, which kept India in the hunt after they lost six wickets for under 200 in response to Australia's 474.

As he came up the ranks in senior domestic cricket, Reddy developed into a useful seam-bowling option, often taking the new ball for Andhra and showing adaptability across formats, as a busy, high-tempo batter in T20s and a more measured presence in the longer game.

His promise translated into opportunities with Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he gradually grew from a fringe player into a key middle-order allrounder capable of producing big-hitting cameos and useful overs. He flowered in the 2024 season, where he contributed over 300 runs, striking at 142, in the team's run to the final.

- Bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) before IPL 2023, Nitish Kumar Reddy played only two games in his debut season. He did not get to bat and could not pick up a wicket in the five overs he bowled.

- However, in IPL 2024, his exploits earned SRH crucial victories in their run to the final; his 64 against Punjab Kings helped SRH win by one run, while his unbeaten 76 against Rajasthan Royals ensured a two-run win.

- After finishing the season with 303 runs at a strike rate of 142.92, he was retained by SRH ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction for INR 6 crores.

- His returns in IPL 2025, though, were underwhelming: 182 runs at a strike rate of 118.95 and two wickets at an economy of 9.40.