Nitish Kumar Reddy has emerged as a genuine two‑way weapon for Sunrisers Hyderabad this IPL season, James Franklin said Tuesday as the team prepared for the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
Franklin pointed to the numbers to make the case: Reddy has scored 264 runs and taken seven wickets in 13 games this season, up from 182 runs and only 30 balls bowled for Hyderabad last year. "Last year, Nitish probably took a lot of learnings. There were a few things, form (wise), probably didn't start exactly how it wanted to for him. Obviously, there might have been a bit more expectation with having just recently been involved with India..." Franklin said, underlining the leap in Reddy's contribution.
That improvement is not limited to raw runs. "He has done quite a bit of work on his bowling, he (has) looked as confident as ever with the bat in the early part of our campaign," Franklin said, adding that the balance between batting and bowling has validated Reddy’s development. "That just gives you that validation, as I said, that confidence as a batter to go out and perform a role."
Sunrisers have used Reddy flexibly. Franklin described his role as "slightly deeper this year as opposed to last year as well, sort of more (about) coming in with maybe six or seven overs to go at No. 5 or No. 6, and he has played some unbelievable cameos for us in finishing off innings and his bowling as well." At times the team has deployed him to open the bowling; at others he’s been introduced in the middle overs depending on match‑ups — a dual job that has produced those seven wickets and a series of late innings finishes.
Context sharpens the point: after a season in which Reddy bowled only 30 balls, the increase in his bowling workload is deliberate. The supplementary notes on his rise also recall that he was named Emerging Player of the Season in 2024 after 303 runs in 11 innings, which framed expectations — and, as Franklin acknowledged, pressure — heading into the most recent campaign.
The tension in the story is obvious and immediate. Franklin mentioned the extra expectations that came with Reddy's prior national‑level involvement and a difficult start last year, yet this season the team has asked him to finish games while also returning the ball when match‑ups suit. It is a big ask for a young player: to be a reliable late‑innings hitter at No. 5 or No. 6 and to adapt to opening or middle bowling spells, all in the pressure of an IPL knock‑out run.
Franklin left little doubt about how the franchise views that balance. "His contribution for us this year has been immense," he said, framing Reddy not as a promise but as a present‑day match influencer heading into a win‑or‑go‑home fixture.
What happens next is the immediate test: Reddy's form and versatility will be measured on Wednesday in the IPL Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals, when his finishing skills and medium‑pace options could determine whether Sunrisers advance or see their season end. If Franklin’s assessment holds, Hyderabad will rely on Reddy to deliver one of the cameos and one of the overs that decide the match.
