A year ago, one young all-rounder who lit up SRH camp with his batting as well as bowling, it’s none other than Nitish Kumar Reddy. Reddy was among the most exciting young talents in Indian cricket.

A scintillating hundred at MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) in Australia turned heads with compact technique, fearless intent and the temperament that hinted at something special. An all-rounder with the ability to change games.

But this season Nitish Kumar Reddy has seen a massive dip in form. His batting strike rate has dropped significantly, and more surprisingly he hasn’t bowled a single over.

Nitish’s Stats Compared To Last IPL

When you compare Nitish’s stats of last year, there is a drastic change in the stats. In 2024 IPL, Nitish amazed 303 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 142.9 with an average of 33.67 with a couple of fifties.

But when you see in 2025 IPL, he just scored 133 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 109.9 with an average of only 19.

This is probably the most frustrating stuff as if we’re eyeing long-term backups for someone like Hardik Pandya, shouldn’t we be grooming players like Nitish to continue their all-round development? If we don’t back young all-rounders to bowl, how do we build a bench?

What’s Next For Nitish?

Nitish had everything going for him skill, maturity, and exposure. Hopefully, this is just a brief pause and not a permanent setback, the potential is simply too great to overlook.