Star Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy will not play today’s Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will host Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 45th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Why is Nitish Kumar Reddy not playing today’s match against KKR?
Speaking at the toss, Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins revealed that Nitish Kumar Reddy is ill and has been replaced by Smaran Ravichandran.
“Nitish (Kumar Reddy) is missing due to illness. (Ravichandran) Smaran comes in. Also, Harshal Patel replaces Harsh Dubey,” the SRH captain said.
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Who is Ravichandran Smaran?
Smaran is a 22-year-old left-handed batsman who plays for Karanataka in domestic cricket. Having made his domestic cricket debut in all formats in 2024, Smaran has impressed in his short career.
He was the second highest run-getter for Karnataka when they won the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2024/25. In 2025/26, Karnataka finished as runners-up in the Ranji Trophy and Smaran was the highest run-getter of the tournament.
After impressive performances in the Maharaja Trophy T20, Smaran was brought in as Adam Zampa’s replacement for SRH in IPL 2025. Unfortunately, he himself was ruled out due to injury before he could play. Harsh Dubey had replaced him in the SRH team at that time.
In all T20s, Smaran has made 489 runs in 13 matches at an average of nearly 49 and a strike rate of 163, and will make his IPL debut today.
Nitish Kumar Reddy at IPL 2026
Since joining SRH in 2023, Reddy has impressed with his all-round ability and meteoric rise since 2024. His batting and bowling ability has seen the Indian team fast track him into the national set-up.
In 2024, Reddy was named IPL Emerging Player that year and has played for India in all three formats since then.
In IPL 2026, he bowled faster and contributed a lot to SRH. So far, he has made 193 runs in 9 matches and has batted mainly in the lower-middle order. He has an average of 27.57 with the bat and a strike rate of 160.83, perfectly embodying his role as a finisher. He has also won fifty.
With the ball, Reddy has taken 6 wickets in 9 matches with an economy of just under 11 runs and an average of 38.
Sunrisers Hyderabad form in IPL 2026
Before today’s match against KKR, SRH were on a five-match winning streak in IPL 2026.