Who is Smaran Ravichandran? 5 interesting facts about SRH's newest signing for IPL 2025

Smaran Ravichandran, the 21-year-old batter from Karnataka, is the newest signing for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

With Adam Zampa being ruled out due to injury, SRH signed Smaran as his replacement, bringing him onboard for ₹30 lakhs. Interestingly, the Karnataka batter was a part of the 2025 mega auctions but had gone unsold.

While the left-handed batter is relatively new to the scene at a bigger level, he has already made his name for himself with brilliant performances in domestic cricket. Having played first-class, List A, and T20 games for his state, he is now set to join an IPL franchise as well.

On that note, here are some interesting facts about Smaran Ravichandran, who is now a part of the SRH squad for IPL 2025.

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#5 Smaran Ravinchandran made his first-class debut only in 2024-25

It has not been long since Smaran Ravichandran made his first-class debut for Karnataka, doing so recently in 2024-25. He has played only seven first-class matches in his domestic career so far.

He has extremely impressive numbers, scoring 516 runs at an average of 64.50 with two centuries, including a double hundred, from seven games and 10 innings. He has played 10 List A games as well, scoring 433 runs at an average of 72.16 and a strike rate of 100.23 with two fifties and as many hundreds.

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#4 Century in final of Vijay Hazare Trophy

Young Smaran Ravinchandran displayed his skills under pressure when it mattered the most. The left-hander smashed a century in the final of the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy, helping Karnataka lift the title.

They put up a huge total of 348/6 while batting first, thanks to a 92-ball 101 from Smaran, which included seven fours and three sixes. He was awarded the 'Player of the Match.'

He had a great tournament, scoring 433 runs from seven innings at an average of 72.16 and a strike rate of 100.23 with two fifties and as many hundreds.

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#3 Played for Canara Bank in DY Patil T20 tournament

Just before IPL 2025, Smaran Ravichandran played for the Canara Bank team in the DY Patil T20 tournament. Canara Bank were placed in Group C and only won one out of their three matches.

However, Smaran batted brilliantly in the tournament and showcased his consistency and hitting abilities. He scored 190 runs from three games, including three back-to-back half-centuries. The left-hander scored 55 off 36 balls in the first match. In the second game, he struck a 33-ball 65, and in the final match, he smashed a 33-ball 70.

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#2 Trained with RCB post IPL 2025 mega auction

Smaran Ravichandran went unsold during the IPL 2025 mega-auction, with no teams showing interest in him. However, he was called up to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) camp and even trained with them.

There were reports about the franchise looking at Smaran as a replacement for Manoj Bhandage or Jacob Bethell, who were both going through injuries. However, they recovered on time and no deal took place between Smaran and RCB as the season began.

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#1 Smaran captained the Karnataka U-16 team

For those unknown, Smaran Ravichandran has had a long journey before making it to the senior Karnataka team. He has played at various age group levels for the state, including U-14, U-16, and U-19, before breaking into the senior team.

The left-hander has also had a hand in leadership, having captained the Karnataka U-16 team in the past. Moreover, in 2019, Smaran was chosen in BCCI's squad that trained at the U-19 camps held at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.