Star Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is not playing today’s Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
In the 45th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is hosting Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) 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at the toss, Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins revealed that Nitish Kumar Reddy is battling illness and has been replaced by Smaran Ravichandran.
“Nitish (Kumar Reddy) will not be able to play due to illness. (Ravichandran) has been recalled. Also, Harshal Patel has been included in place of Harsh Dubey,” the SRH captain said.
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Who is Ravichandran Smarna?
Smaran is a 22-year-old left-handed batsman who plays for Karnataka in domestic cricket. Smaran, who made his debut in all formats of domestic cricket in 2024, has impressed in his short career.
He was Karnataka’s second-highest run-scorer when they won the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2024/25. In 2025/26, Karnataka finished runners-up in the Ranji Trophy and Smaran was the tournament’s leading run-scorer.
After impressive performances in the Maharajas Trophy T20, Smaran was signed by SRH as a replacement for Adam Zampa in IPL 2025. Unfortunately, he was ruled out with an injury before he could get a game. At that time Harsh Dubey had replaced him in the SRH team.
Smaran has made in all T20