'The pace is definitely up': Franklin lauds Nitish Reddy's value in SRH

Sunrisers Hyderabad find themselves in the top-four of the ongoing Indian Premier League, with different players stepping up across their six games. Among them, Nitish Reddy's all-round contributions have been quietly important.

He has stepped up with the ball at various stages—Powerplay, middle overs, and death—often filling the void as SRH prioritizes aggressive batting. His most significant performance came against Chennai Super Kings, where SRH were a bowler short.

Reddy returned figures of 2 for 31 from his four overs, bowling in the Powerplay and at the death, helping SRH defend 194 by 10 runs. He set the platform by dismissing Sanju Samson and Ayush Mhatre.

All four of his wickets this season have come from good length and back-of-a-length deliveries, conceding only 77 runs off 57 balls on those lengths (economy rate of 8.1). He has been less effective bowling full or short.

SRH assistant coach James Franklin praised Reddy's improvement but emphasized the need for consistency. "It's great to see Nitish play the way he's been playing," Franklin said ahead of SRH's clash against Delhi Capitals. "Last year was a really good learning year for him. From a bowling point of view, he's fulfilled different roles, whether with the new ball or in the middle, and created opportunities. The pace is definitely up from last year, and the way he's planning his overs and sequencing balls to different batters is really helping him. The challenge is to maintain this form throughout a long tournament."

Franklin also highlighted Reddy's contributions with the bat, despite them being cameos: a 13-ball 28 against Rajasthan Royals, a 24-ball 39 against Kolkata Knight Riders, and a 33-ball 56 against Lucknow Super Giants. These knocks came after quick wickets, needing to steady the innings through the middle overs. He has scored 136 runs this season at a strike rate of 160.

"He's been brilliant with the bat," Franklin said. "We've seen the bounce back early this IPL, and hopefully he can maintain that form. He's played some good cameos and been part of vital partnerships, particularly with Heinrich Klaasen."