Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) might be all about the big four at the top of the batting order and bashing oppositions into submission, but away from the limelight, Reddy – not quite a batter and not quite a bowler, or so you would think – is pulling his weight as both batter and bowler. As an allrounder. The “only proper allrounder” around, in Deep Dasgupta’s opinion. At a time when the impact-player rule was supposed to have signalled the end of the breed from the IPL.
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen, that top four, have 1739 runs between them at this stage, everyone but Head having scored over 400 and both Klaasen and Abhishek closing in on 500. Reddy isn’t up there. But the value of a No. 5 batter, coming in after those four have done their job, with 222 runs at a strike rate of 166.91 doesn’t need to be stressed. Against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Wednesday, he smashed 29 not out in 13 balls at the death, And that 56 in 33 balls against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) was a completely different innings, where he played his part in reviving SRH in the company of Klaasen after they were 11 for 3.
Throw in seven wickets at an economy rate of 10.39 in what has been a high-scoring IPL, and you know why James Franklin, the SRH assistant coach, is saying the “team functions better when they’ve got an allrounder who’s playing well and being able to contribute both with bat and ball”.
“He’s confident. He’s playing really well with the bat, he’s coming in and showing great intent as soon as he comes out. And then the bowler as well – he’s probably just managed to [get his] pace up a little bit this season, he’s swinging the new ball when he’s getting the opportunity to bowl in the powerplay, and he’s creating opportunities,” Franklin said at the press conference after SRH beat PBKS by 33 runs to go to the top of the table.
We have spoken about it on these pages before, that there’s been a “Project NKR” of sorts on, and Reddy has worked with Steffan Jones, former county cricketer and now a fast-bowling and high-performance coach, with the aim of getting his pace up to around 140kph.
The idea is simple: “develop Reddy into one of the best allrounders in the world”. We might be seeing some of that at IPL 2026. And some of those wickets have been crucial ones. Sanju Samson and Ayush Mhatre inside the powerplay when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were chasing 195 to beat SRH, and couldn’t. Or the one of Will Jacks in the eighth over when he and Ryan Rickelton had added 93 runs in seven overs.
“That’s a very valid point – how we perceive the impact [of the allrounder]. I mean that is changing and I hope that keeps changing and next season it gets… the role of the allrounder is recognised more as we go forward,” Dasgupta said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show. “What is heartening to see is even though there is this impact sub option, he has kind of found a niche for himself as an allrounder. We don’t get to see too many allrounders in this tournament. I think Nitish is the only proper allrounder. Bats in the middle order, bowls more often than not at least three to four overs. So, yeah, a proper allrounder.”
Dasgupta is especially pleased with Reddy because, in his opinion, he has helped SRH get the team balance right.
“I guess the impact rule, and how much that’s taken potentially the allrounder out of it, so he’s definitely done a lot of work behind the scenes over the last few months to get everything clicking as it is,” Dasgupta said. “If you’re looking at how most of the teams are playing high-risk, high-reward cricket, it always helps to start, even when you’re in your batting XI, with five bowling options and then see how it goes.
“So you literally are looking at almost nine batters then. If you start with five bowlers and that’s where the allrounders, somebody like Nitish, are so, so important. So you can actually get an extra batter in there knowing very well that this guy can give you four overs.”
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