“Would not even be in the top 10” - Former cricketer’s scathing attack on Nitish Kumar Reddy after MI vs SRH IPL 2025 match

Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull opined that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) should stop sending in Nitish Kumar Reddy at No.4 in the batting order, and instead hand over the role to Heinrich Klaasen. The all-rounder is having a hard time with the bat in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), scoring 131 runs in six innings at an average of 21.83, and a strike rate of 113.91.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, playing at No.4 irrespective of conditions and situations, started his campaign with a promising cameo. However, since then, he has struggled to make an impression.

The all-rounder had thrown his helmet in frustration after a sluggish 28-ball 32 against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), which was followed by a duck against the Delhi Capitals (DC), where his shot selection was criticised.

In the recent outing against the Mumbai Indians (MI), Reddy could only muster 19 runs off 21 deliveries on a tricky surface. He registered only a solitary boundary in his innings, and perished while trying to take on Trent Boult in the 17th over.

Simon Doull remarked how SRH are failing to get the best out of Klaasen by sticking with Nitish Kumar Reddy at No.4.

"The first thing I would do is move Klaasen to No.4. Give him more time at the crease to get in, and if it is two down early, then so be it. Just give him a bit more time to get in. You paid all that money for Klaasen, and you are kind of hiding him at No.5," Doull said on Cricbuzz (0:05).

"But, I don't think the Nitish Kumar Reddy experiment is working. Is he a No.4 in a T20 lineup? You look around, see who are the best Indian batters at No.4, Reddy would not even be in the top 10 going around in the tournament at the moment, with all due respect. At No.6 you'd say, good option. Bowls you a couple of overs, hits it out of the park, comes in with a bit more of a free license," he added.

Heinrich Klaasen has scored 210 runs in six innings at an average of 35.00 and a strike rate of 159.09. His late assault on Deepak Chahar, during his 28-ball 37 at the Wankhede, helped SRH set a competitive target against MI after being put into bat.

SRH had retained the South African wicket-keeper for INR 23 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction, making him the most expensive retention in history.

Nitish Kumar Reddy in line to be included in BCCI's Central Contract List

The emerging all-rounder made his international debut on the back of a breakthrough IPL 2024 campaign. He played in the home T20I series against Bangladesh, before featuring in the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.

According to reports, he is all set to be included in BCCI's Central Contract List, expected to be announced soon midway through the IPL season. He is now eligible for the same after having played five Tests and four T20Is in Indian colors since his debut.