Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) continued their strong form with an impressive 33-run win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the ongoing IPL 2026, but Nitish Kumar Reddy got all the limelight. The way Nitish Kumar Reddy is contributing with both batting and bowling, he is becoming one of the most important members of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team.
SRH posted a mammoth total of 235 runs and then produced a strong bowling performance to restrict PBKS to 202/7 and register their seventh win in 11 matches so far this season. The win helped SRH top the IPL 2026 points table and strengthen their position for the playoffs.
Nitish Kumar Reddy shines with bat and ball in SRH vs PBKS IPL 2026 match
After Tavis Head and Abhishek Sharma gave SRH a great start, Ishan Kishan (55 off 32 balls) and Heinrich Klaasen (69 off 43 balls) played strong innings to help the hosts put up a strong score on the board against PBKS at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.
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Apart from these two, Nitish Kumar Reddy also made valuable contribution by scoring 29 runs in just 13 balls to take the total past 200 runs against Punjab Kings.
Later, after Pat Cummins dismissed Priyansh Arya in the powerplay, the all-rounder gave Sunrisers Hyderabad a great start with the ball by dismissing Prabhsimran Singh. He finished with impressive figures of 1/11 in 12 balls against PBKS.
Nitish is the only true all-rounder: Deep Dasgupta
After the match, former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta praised Nitish Kumar Reddy and said that he is probably the only proper all-rounder in IPL 2026 at the moment. He pointed out that Nitish has been doing the job for his team by batting in the middle order and bowling regularly when needed this season, describing him as a proper all-rounder.
Deep Dasgupta was quoted as saying on ESPNcricinfo, “It’s a very valid point about how we understand the impact of the all-rounder. It’s changing, and I hope it will continue to change, and the role of the all-rounder will be recognized more as we move into the next season.”
The cricket pundit said, “It’s heartening to see that despite this impact sub option, he has found a niche for himself as an all-rounder. We don’t get to see too many all-rounders in this tournament. I think Nitish is the only proper all-rounder. The batsmen in the middle order tend to bowl more for at least three to four overs. So, yes, a proper all-rounder.”
Impact player rule-making has made life difficult for all-rounders
The former Indian cricketer pointed out that many IPL teams now prefer to use additional specialist batsmen or bowlers instead of relying on all-rounders due to the IPL’s impact player rule. Therefore, genuine all-rounders are getting fewer opportunities, and their role has become more difficult.
But Reddy has quietly worked hard over the last few months to improve both his batting and bowling and is now successfully performing as a proper all-rounder for his team. Andy Dasgupat feels that this is why SRH trust Nitish with both bat and ball and he has become so important for them.
Nitish is giving the right team balance to SRH
Dasgupta also feels that players like Reddy help teams play more fearless cricket. Since he can bowl his full quota if needed, Sunrisers Hyderabad gets the freedom to include an extra batsman in the playing eleven. And he feels that flexibility has become a big advantage for SRH this season.
He signed off by saying, “If you are looking at how most teams are playing high-risk, high-reward cricket, it always helps to start, even if you are in your batting XI, with five bowling options and then see how it goes.”
“So, you are literally looking at around nine batsmen. If you start with five bowlers, the all-rounder there, someone like Nitish, is very important. So, you can actually put an extra batsman there, knowing very well that this guy can give you four overs.”
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