indian premier league - ipl

SRH Star Could Push For Release To Aim At Bigger Bid At IPL 2026 Auction

Sreejita Sen

Last updated: July 22, 2025

3 min read

Star Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy may seek to be released from his franchise to make chances for higher bids in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction. Previously, the Hyderabad management acquired the youngster for INR 20 lakhs in the IPL 2023 auction. But an extraordinary performance from the 22-year-old in IPL 2024, followed by a stunning Test debut, saw SRH retain him for a huge price of INR 6 crore ahead of the latest season of this cash-rich league.

Nitish Kumar Reddy in IPL 2025

After a stellar outing in the IPL 2024, the young all-rounder earned his maiden national team call-up for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series 2024-25. The 22-year-old scored 303 runs at a strike rate of 142.92 and scalped three wickets in 13 matches of the IPL 2024 for the Orange Army. Moreover, he continued to put up a stunning show in his debut India outing on Australian turf.

Reddy notched up 213 runs, including a hundred at the MCG and bagged five wickets in the latest BGT tour. However, he could not carry on with the momentum and struggled to regain his form in the IPL 2025. The youngster scored only 182 runs at a much lower strike rate of 118.95 this season. He also bowled just five overs throughout the season compared to his 13.1 overs in the previous season. However, Reddy scalped two wickets in those limited opportunities that he received and also improved his economy to 9.40.

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KKR, CSK May Look to Acquire Reddy If SRH Releases Him Before IPL 2026 Auction

Even after enduring a rough patch in the latest IPL season, the youngster may create a bidding war at the IPL 2026 auction due to his immense potential. The chances of getting picked for a higher price by other franchises would increase further if he could produce another brilliant performance in the ongoing red-ball tour against England and also in the upcoming fixtures.

IPL 2024 champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) may release their costliest buy of the latest season, all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, after a dismal outing with just 142 runs in 11 matches. They may look for Reddy to replace him in the squad. On the other hand, five-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might also be keen to include him in the squad in place of Vijay Shankar.

The 34-year-old has had consecutive poor IPL seasons, with just 83 runs in seven matches at a below-par strike rate of 115.28 for the Gujarat Titans, followed by 118 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 129.67 for the Men in Yellow. His only half-century in the last two seasons came against the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2025. However, if the youngster makes an appearance in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction, his current franchise SRH, may also re-buy him by using the RTM card.

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