Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has called Nitish Kumar Reddy a weakness for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). The season opener will be played between SRH and the defending champions RCB on March 28 in Bengaluru.
Nitish Kumar Reddy won the emerging player of the year in IPL 2024 season, where he scored over 300 runs at a decent average of 33.67 and a strike rate of 142.92. But the last season was a disaster for him. His runs dropped to just 182 in 11 innings, averaging 22.75 and striking at 118.95.
Nitish Kumar Reddy can act as the glue: Irfan Pathan
Now, the 22-year-old is under pressure to bounce back after failing to capitalize on the given opportunities last season. However, Irfan Pathan feels Reddy can play a stabilizer’s role in the ultra-aggressive SRH batting line-up, and that could turn his and the team’s fortune this season.
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Pathan said in a video on his YouTube channel: “We saw that his numbers dropped compared to the previous year. In 2024, he scored more than 300 runs and had a good strike rate. But what happened last year?”
“His runs almost halved to around 180, and his strike rate dropped to about 119. It is not like he was batting too low either. In about 7 out of 11 innings, he got opportunities around number four. So, he was unable to capitalize on those chances.”
The former World Cup winner further added, “If he performs his role well, I think he can act as the glue in this unit, which is otherwise very ultra-aggressive. It will be interesting to see how Hyderabad counters this challenge.”
Pathan explains why Nitish Kumar Reddy’s role is crucial
Meanwhile, SRH’s batting line-up has so many power hitters, and now they also have Liam Livingstone, and they like to play aggressive cricket from the start, and that’s where Reddy’s role becomes crucial for the franchise.
Pathan has noted that Reddy will bring balance in the middle order and control the innings when others play aggressive cricket. The cricket pandit asked the youngster to play smart and steady cricket to become an important player in the star-studded line-up in the IPL 2026.
He has important role to play-Irfan Pathan
He explained, “SRH’s approach is ultra-aggressive. They have players who naturally play that way, one after another. Now, with Liam Livingstone coming in, you have about five such aggressive batters. Aniket Verma was also a big positive last year. So, all of them play with aggression.
The question is whether Hyderabad can slightly control this ultra-aggressive approach and channel it into more controlled aggression. As I mentioned earlier, Nitish Kumar Reddy will have a very important role in this.”
Notably, Nitish Kumar Reddy has so far played 28 matches and scored 485 runs at an average of around 28 and a strike rate above 130, with the help of two half-centuries in his IPL career so far. He has also taken five wickets in the world’s biggest T20 league so far.
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