IPL 2025: Nitish Kumar Reddy gets NCA fitness clearance, set to join SRH camp

The National Cricket Academy (now the BCCI Centre of Excellence) has deemed young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy healthy enough to play cricket again. The native of Andhra Pradesh will now be a member of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team in order to compete in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL).

For the record, following the opening Twenty20 International of the just finished series against England, Nitish Kumar Reddy suffered a side strain injury.

He was then disqualified from the series and had to go to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for rehabilitation. The good news is that the man who was born in Visakhapatnam is now completely well enough to resume his duties and will be seen working for the Orange Army.

The star cricketer was the find of the previous season and won the IPL 2024 Emerging Player of the Season award for his incredibly successful stay, which saw him score 303 runs at an average of 33.66 and strike 142.92. The fast bowling all-rounder, who primarily played as an Impact Substitute, contributed three wickets in seven innings to help SRH get to the final, where they were defeated by the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Reddy made his debut for India in a T20I series against Bangladesh after a spectacular performance in the lucrative event earned him a call-up to the national squad. In the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy match against Australia, he made his Test debut and finished as India’s second-highest run scorer, however the tourists lost 1-3. In the Boxing Day match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the 21-year-old also recorded his first century.

To start the IPL 2025 season, SRH will play RR on March 23.

Along with Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Ishan Kishan, he was also signed by the Hyderabad-based team before to the IPL 2025 Mega Auction.

This time, on Sunday, March 23, the Sunrisers will play the Rajasthan Royals in their season-opening match at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. The Pat Cummins-led team, who finished second in 2024, will be keen to advance and win the franchise’s second trophy, something they previously did in 2016 under the iconic David Warner.