In the 23rd match of the Indian Premier League 2024, Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Punjab Kings by 2 runs. This match was a thriller and it was SRH who ended on the winning side. Punjab Kings required 29 runs in the last over but could get only 27.
For SRH, 20-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy scored his first-ever half-century in T20 cricket during his fourth Indian Premier League match. He played a crucial role in rescuing Sunrisers Hyderabad from a difficult situation against Punjab in Mullanpur on Tuesday, proving his worth to the team.
Amidst a day where established players like Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, and Aiden Markram struggled, the emerging all-rounder from Visakhapatnam showcased his talent against the Punjab bowling attack. He smashed a fifty off just 32 balls, marking his arrival on the grand stage.
Nitish Kumar Reddy amazed everyone with a hook shot against Kagiso Rabada, who was bowling exceptionally well with the new ball.
A special counter attacking innings from Nitish Kumar Reddy 🙌
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 9, 2024
He is leading #SRH‘s fightback with some glorious shots 👌
Watch the match LIVE on @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia💻📱#TATAIPL | #PBKSvSRH | @SunRisers pic.twitter.com/6SFysFcqKz
Nitish came to bat at No. 4 before Heinrich Klaasen and Impact Player Rahul Tripathi. By the 10th over, SRH was struggling at 64 for 4, as Arshdeep Singh, Sam Curran, and Harshal Patel dismissed key players early in the innings.
The long-time associate Hanuma Vihari recently expressed on social media that Nitish possesses the potential to become a cricket superstar. Nitish has been Hanuma’s teammate for Andhra in domestic cricket.
Next super star ⭐️ https://t.co/s8apIXPmAS
— Hanuma vihari (@Hanumavihari) April 9, 2024
Before yesterday’s match, Nitish had only featured in 8 T20 matches, including 2 IPL games in 2023 where he didn’t get a chance to bat.
Nitish Kumar Reddy amassed 366 runs in 7 matches during the Ranji Trophy for Andhra, where he also registered a century and a half-century.
Having represented India B at the U19 level, Nitish has participated in 17 first-class matches, accumulating 566 runs, and 22 List A games, where he scored 403 runs with an average of 36.63.
During the IPL 2023 auction, Nitish was acquired by SRH at his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
