SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) have come under heavy criticism from former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn over their decision to not use Nitish Kumar Reddy as a bowler in IPL 2025. Despite being known as a capable all-rounder, Reddy hasn’t bowled a single over this season, raising eyebrows across the cricketing world.
Steyn, who has been closely following the league, expressed his frustration on social media during SRH’s recent clash against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium—a match SRH lost by six wickets. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Steyn wrote:
“Have SRH just forgotten that Reddy can bowl…? Has a bit of a golden arm, absolutely worth an over or two.”
The 21-year-old Reddy had made waves in the previous IPL season with his all-round abilities, which even earned him a call-up to the Indian Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Yet, this season, under the leadership of Pat Cummins and guidance of coach Daniel Vettori, Reddy’s bowling has been completely overlooked.
Injury Concerns?
Nitish Kumar Reddy was recovering from a side strain ahead of the IPL, which had ruled him out of the T20I series against England. However, Steyn questioned the logic behind not bowling him while allowing him to bat regularly.
“If he’s injured, then it’s understandable, but he seems to be batting just fine,” Steyn added.
Underwhelming Batting Returns
Reddy hasn’t impressed with the bat either this season. He has scored just 131 runs from 7 matches at an average of 21.83 and a strike rate of 113.91. Despite his form, he continues to bat at No.4, ahead of proven finishers like Heinrich Klaasen and Aniket Verma, raising questions about SRH’s strategic decisions.
SRH Struggle in Points Table
SRH are currently placed 9th in the IPL 2025 points table with just 4 points from 7 games. With five losses already, the team must win at least five of their remaining seven matches to stay in contention for a playoff berth.
They are set to face Mumbai Indians again on April 23 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, and fans will be watching closely to see if the management rethinks their use of Nitish Kumar Reddy.
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