In a thrilling encounter in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Sunrisers Hyderabad‘s all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy emerged as the hero, etching his name in the history books with a match-winning performance against the Punjab Kings.
Nitish showcased his skills in both batting and bowling departments, playing a pivotal role in SRH’s narrow 2-run victory over PBKS.
He scored 64 off just 37 balls, and also made significant contributions with the ball, dismissing Jitesh Sharma and taking a crucial catch of Prabhsimran Singh.
He became the first uncapped player in IPL history to score more than 50 runs, take a wicket, and catch in a single match, making history.
He is the second youngest player in IPL history to score a half-century, achieving the feat at the age of 20 years and 319 days. Priyam Garg holds the record as the youngest player to score a fifty in the IPL, accomplishing it at 19 years and 307 days.
After the victory, Nitish expressed his joy at his performance and explained the strategy he employed during his impressive batting display.
“For me it’s like a big contribution for my team and for myself. I have been telling myself that I should believe in myself. The seamers were bowling really well, I didn’t want to take on them. I knew that the spinners would come and I wanted to attack them, I just did that,” he said.
“The whole tournament, they are bowling slow bouncers and it’s really working. I also used the dimensions to get the wicket. I just want to continue this performance with the bat or ball or with the fielding, I just want to be like this,” he added.
SRH vs PBKS match summary
In a thrilling encounter, SRH emerged victorious against PBKS by just 2 runs. Nitish Kumar Reddy’s stellar innings of 67 runs off 37 balls propelled SRH to a challenging total of 182/9, supported by Abdul Samad and Jaydev Unadkat. PBKS faced early setbacks, losing three wickets in the powerplay and managing only 27 runs. Despite a resilient partnership from Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, SRH defended their total, clinching a narrow win.
