Revealed: Why Nitish Kumar Reddy is not playing today's match against KKR in IPL 2026?

Star Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is not playing today's match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are hosting the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 45th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Why is Nitish Kumar Reddy not playing today's match against KKR?

Speaking at the toss, the Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins revealed that Nitish Kumar Reddy is down with illness and has been replaced by Smaran Ravichandran.

"Nitish (Kumar Reddy) misses out due to illness. (Ravichandran) Smaran comes in. Also, Harshal Patel in for Harsh Dubey," the SRH captain said.

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Who is Ravichandran Smaran?

Smaran is a 22-year old left-handed batsman who plays for Karanataka in domestic cricket. Having made his debut in domestic cricket in all formats in 2024, Smaran has impressed in his short career.

He was Karnataka's second highest run-getter when they won the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2024/25. In 2025/26, Karnataka finished as runners-up in the Ranji Trophy and Smaran was the highest run-getter of the tournament.

After impressive showings in the Maharaja Trophy T20, Smaran was signed as a replacement for Adam Zampa by SRH in IPL 2025. Unfortunately, he got ruled out because of an injury himself before he could get a game. Harsh Dubey had replaced him in the SRH squad at the time.

In all T20s, Smaran has made 489 runs in 13 matches at an average of nearly 49 and strike rate of 163, and will be making his IPL debut today.

Nitish Kumar Reddy in IPL 2026

Since joining SRH in 2023, Reddy has impressed with his all-round ability and meteoric rise since 2024. His batting and his ability to bowl pace have made the Indian team fast-track him to the national setup.

In 2024, Reddy was named the Emerging Player of the IPL that year, and has played for India in all three formats since then.

In IPL 2026, he worked on bowling faster and has contributed nicely to SRH. So far, he has made 193 runs in 9 matches while mostly batting in the lower middle order. He averages 27.57 with the bat at a strike rate of 160.83, perfectly embodying his role as a finisher. He has also made one fifty.

With the ball, Reddy has taken 6 wickets in 9 matches at an economy just under 11 runs an over while averaging 38.

Sunrisers Hyderabad's form in IPL 2026

Before today's match against KKR, SRH went on a five-match winning streak in IPL 2026.

After struggling in the early season, this winning run has emboldened their chances of qualifying for the playoffs after missing out last year.

KKR too, have reason to be jubilant. After getting no wins in their first six matches, they have won each of their last 2 matches. This has kept them mostly afloat in the tournament so far.

If KKR lose today, it could spell the end of their campaign in IPL 2026. While SRH still have a little breathing room even if they lose.