Nitish Reddy Defends SRH’s Bowling After Dominant Victory Over KKR at Eden Gardens

Kolkata:

Sunrisers Hyderabad picked up a comfortable 65-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Eden Gardens in the ongoing IPL 2026. Leading up to the tournament, SRH were considered to have one of the weakest bowling sides on paper, but against the three-time champions, they defied odds, restricting KKR to just 161 runs in a run chase of 227. 

Notably, the hosts were off to a flyer with Finn Allen dictating the play, but Hyderabad were tactically much superior, resulting in a comfortable win. Jaydev Unadkat was the star with the ball, claiming three wickets, while Ehsan Malinga and Nitish Kumar Reddy picked up two each. In the first innings, Nitish also contributed with the bat, scoring 39 runs off 24 balls, when SRH lost a few quick wickets and because of his overall contribution, the all-rounder was adjudged the Player of the Match.

Bowling unit not as weak as you think: Nitish

After the game, Nitish shut the SRH critics, stating that they have a proper bowling unit, mixed with experience and youth. He noted that the bowling unit is as strong as the batting and highlighted that they aren’t a weak side as the critics claimed.

“Sorry to say, sir, but the bowling unit is not as weak as you think. On paper, as you said, there are experienced players like Jaydev Unadkat and Eshan Malinga who are doing really well, and Payne has also been very good. So I don’t think we have a weak bowling side. It’s just that the brand of cricket we’ve been playing and the scores we’ve put on the scoreboard make it seem like the batting is very strong, but I would rate my bowling unit equally highly,” Reddy said in the post-match presentation.

“They’ve been very good in that department, especially when playing in Hyderabad. Those wickets are quite flat, and you should appreciate the bowlers who have performed in those conditions because it’s never easy. Even in such situations, the bowling unit has managed to defend, and you could see the result today. So we have done well as a bowling unit. I wouldn’t say we were weak on paper, but our batting is so explosive that it might give that impression,” he added.

Hyderabad will next play Lucknow Super Giants on April 5. They would hope to keep up with the winning momentum after a defeat to RCB to start the season.

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