Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) started with a bang and finished with a bang. In the middle, they struggled as their template of going bang-bang did not work. Their bowling faltered and the finalists of previous season were eliminated from the playoffs race earlier than most expected. One question that came up consistently was why Nitish Kumar Reddy isn't bowling? Reddy was thrown the ball when the IPL 2025 resumed after one-week suspension. However, the question was unanswered until SRH head coach Daniel Vettori cleared the air.
"He brought a side-strain into the tournament, which obviously he had throughout, is the reason why he missed a lot of cricket prior to that, and then it was just a slow, meticulous build-up," said Vettori in the post-match press conference.
"He was ready just before the tournament break, so we anticipated him bowling maybe the last five to six games, which was what happened, so it was purely down to injury."
Reddy's last international appearance was on Australian soil in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He was ruled out of the T20I series at home against England due to side strain. Shivam Dube replaced him in the squad.
Reddy's statistics in IPL 2025
While it was injury that kept Reddy from bowling, he did not have a good season with the bat. From 10 innings, he scored 178 runs at an average of 25.43 and strike rate of 121.91. His highest score in the season was 32. In the last three games, he bowled a total of five overs and bagged two wickets.
Vettori defends Reddy's batting slump
Vettori defended Reddy for the laclustre season after a breakthrough season last year.
"I mean, it's always tricky; that role, the number four or five position, is one of the most difficult in IPL, and he's always normally coming in on the back of that aggressive style. We know that Nitish, when he's at his best, gives himself a chance, builds his innings and then can capitalise at the end against pace and spin," the former New Zealand captain said.
"I think it's just one of those seasons that's a little bit of a learning for him, but he's too good a player not to bounce back," he added.
Reddy's next mission
On May 25, SRH bowed out of IPL 2025 with a thumping 110-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Reddy will now head to England as he is part of India A's squad. The red-ball series against England Lions will begin on May 30.