Table of Contents
The camera found his father in the stands at the MCG. Mutyala Reddy was sitting in row after row of 90000 people and he was crying. His son was at the crease. His son had just brought up a Test century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground — batting at number eight, in Australia, on December 28 2024. The image went around the cricket world in seconds.
Those tears explained everything about this story.
Nitish Kumar Reddy is 23 years old. He plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. He has played Test cricket, ODI cricket and T20I cricket for India. He is the only proper all-rounder in the IPL right now in the eyes of Deep Dasgupta — a man who has watched Indian cricket for decades. And none of it would have happened without his father giving up a stable government job to make it possible.
This is the Nitish Kumar Reddy story. Not the press release version. The real one.
NITISH KUMAR REDDY BIOGRAPHY
QUICK PROFILE
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kaki Nitish Kumar Reddy |
| Date of Birth | May 26, 2003 |
| Age | 23 years (as of June 2026) |
| Birthplace | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (Grew up in Gajuwaka, Vizag) |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (Approx. 175–178 cm) |
| Weight | Approx. 70–75 kg |
| Role | Right-arm medium-fast bowling all-rounder |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm medium-fast (130–140 km/h) |
| Jersey Number | 88 (India & Sunrisers Hyderabad) |
| IPL Team | Sunrisers Hyderabad (2023–2026) |
| IPL Price | ₹6 Crore (Retained ahead of IPL 2025) |
| Domestic Team | Andhra |
| Favourite Cricketer | Virat Kohli |
| Religion | Hindu (Devotee of Lord Shiva) |
Family — The Real Story Behind the Story
Nitish Kumar Reddy grew up in Gajuwaka — an industrial neighbourhood in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. His father Mutyala Reddy worked at Hindustan Zinc. His mother Manasa Jyostna kept the household going. They were not a wealthy family but they were stable. The job was secure. The future was predictable.
Then Nitish started showing serious cricketing ability. He was somewhere between 9 and 12 years old. Hindustan Zinc transferred Mutyala to Udaipur in Rajasthan. Mutyala looked at the cricket facilities there. He looked at his son. And he made a decision that his family, his relatives and his neighbours all thought was mad.
He quit his government job at Hindustan Zinc. With approximately 25 years of service remaining.
Relatives laughed at him. Neighbours said he had lost his mind. Close family members questioned his judgement. He did not respond to any of them. He believed in his son.
The financial pressure that followed was real. Cricket coaching, travel, equipment, tournaments — none of it is cheap. The family stretched. There were difficult months.
Then one day Nitish came home and found his father in tears. Crying from the financial stress of it all.
In a BCCI TV interview Nitish described that moment: “To be honest, I was not that serious when I was young. My father left his job for me. There have been a lot of sacrifices behind my story. One day I saw him cry because of the financial crisis and that is when I got serious.”
From that day Nitish Kumar Reddy became serious about cricket.
His father Mutyala Reddy is the reason this story exists. Every run Nitish scores at the MCG or at Wankhede or at Eden Gardens carries the weight of that decision the day a father quit the job he had worked for years because he believed in his son more than he believed in the safety of a monthly salary.
His elder sister Tejaswi Reddy has supported him throughout. His mother Manasa Jyostna held the family together through the lean years.
Early Life and Education
Nitish grew up in Gajuwaka an industrial area on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam. It is not a traditional cricket-producing neighbourhood. There were no famous academies on the doorstep. No famous coaches in the locality.
He attended local schools in Visakhapatnam. As his cricket took over more of his time the balance shifted increasingly toward cricket and away from formal schooling. This is a common path for young cricketers who show elite-level talent early.
He started playing state-level cricket in 2020. By the time he was 19 he was playing IPL cricket.
Domestic Career
Nitish Kumar Reddy plays for Andhra in domestic cricket the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
His first-class debut came on January 27 2020 against Kerala at Ongole. His List A debut followed on February 20 2021 against Vidarbha at Indore. His domestic T20 debut was on November 4 2021 against Jammu and Kashmir at Vadodara.
His standout domestic performance before the IPL came in the Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy where he scored 1237 runs including a historic 441 off 345 balls against Nagaland — still the highest individual score in the tournament’s history. He was not even playing senior cricket yet and he had already set a record that no one had matched before or since.
In the 2025 to 2026 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy he featured in only three games but scored at a strike rate of 137.25 while picking up six wickets with the ball — showing his all-round value even in limited appearances.
IPL Career — Sunrisers Hyderabad
Nitish Kumar Reddy was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for just 20 lakhs at the 2023 IPL auction. He was 19 years old. He made his IPL debut that season.
IPL 2024 was when SRH and Nitish both announced themselves to Indian cricket in a serious way. He played 13 games. He scored 303 runs at a strike rate of 142.92. He also showed his bowling capability — a match-winning spell of 2 for 17 that included the key wickets of Tristan Stubbs and Rishabh Pant in the same game. SRH reached the IPL 2024 final that season, losing to KKR.
Sunrisers retained Nitish for 6 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction — a reward for what he had shown in 2024.
In IPL 2026 Nitish produced his most complete all-round performances. He scored 222 runs at a strike rate of 166.91 batting at number 5 in a top-heavy SRH lineup that already had Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen at the top. With all four of those batters scoring over 400 runs each this season Nitish’s contribution from lower down was easily overlooked. It should not have been.
He also took seven wickets in IPL 2026 at an economy rate of 10.39. Crucially those wickets included Sanju Samson and Ayush Mhatre inside the powerplay when CSK were chasing 195, and Will Jacks in the eighth over when he and Ryan Rickelton had added 93 runs in seven overs. Match-winning wickets at the right moments.
ESPNcricinfo described him during IPL 2026 as “the only proper allrounder” in the tournament. Deep Dasgupta said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show: “We don’t get to see too many allrounders in this tournament. I think Nitish is the only proper allrounder. Bats in the middle order, bowls more often than not at least three to four overs. So yeah, a proper all-rounder.”
His last IPL 2026 match was against Rajasthan Royals in May 2026 where he scored 38 off 20 balls.
Also Read- Mukul Chaudhary Biography, Age, Height, IPL Team, Stats & Career
Total IPL Career Stats
| IPL Career Statistics | Record |
|---|---|
| Matches | 42 |
| Runs | 787 |
| Batting Average | 29.15 |
| Strike Rate | 140+ |
| Half-Centuries (50s) | 3 |
| Highest Score | 76* |
| Fours | 50 |
| Sixes | 46 |
| Wickets | 13 |
| Bowling Economy | 10.65 |
| Best Bowling Figures | 2/17 |
| Catches | 22 |
| IPL Team | Sunrisers Hyderabad (2023–2026) |
| IPL Auction Price | ₹20 Lakhs (2023), Retained for ₹6 Crore (IPL 2025 & 2026) |
Source: ESPNcricinfo
India Career — Every Format
T20I debut: October 6 2024 vs Bangladesh at Gwalior
Test debut: November 22 2024 vs Australia at Perth (Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 to 2025)
ODI debut: October 2025 vs Australia
He made his international debut across all three formats within the space of a year. That reflects how quickly the Indian selectors recognised his all-round value after his IPL 2024 performances.
The MCG Century — December 28 2024
This is the innings that defined Nitish Kumar Reddy as an international cricketer.
India were playing Australia in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 to 2025 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was December 28. The Boxing Day Test. 90000 people in the ground.
Nitish Kumar Reddy walked in to bat at number eight.
He scored 114. It is the highest score at the MCG by any batter coming in at number eight or below in Test match history.
When he raised his bat and looked up into the stands the camera found his father Mutyala Reddy. Sitting among the crowd of 90000. Crying.
The man who had quit his government job at Hindustan Zinc. The man relatives had laughed at. The man who had cried in his own home from financial pressure. He was watching his son score a Test century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
That image travelled instantly. In India, in the cricket world, among people who had never heard of Visakhapatnam or Gajuwaka before that day. Because that image said something universal sometimes the person who believes in you most is the only one who needs to be right.
The All-Rounder Question
There is a debate in Indian cricket about all-rounders. The impact player rule in the IPL — which allows teams to substitute a player mid-match — has made it easier to pick specialist batters and specialist bowlers instead of all-rounders who do both moderately well.
Nitish Kumar Reddy has pushed back against this trend simply by being good enough at both to make the debate irrelevant.
He bats at number 5 for SRH. He bowls 3 to 4 overs per match. He does not open the batting. He is not a specialist seamer. He is an all-rounder. And SRH’s assistant coach James Franklin said during IPL 2026: “The team functions better when they have an all-rounder who’s being able to contribute both with bat and ball.”
SRH want to develop him into one of the best all-rounders in the world. That is the long-term plan. His MCG century batting at number eight showed he can bat long under pressure. His IPL 2026 wickets showed he can take key wickets at crucial moments. The blueprint is there.
Records and Achievements
Highest individual score in the Vijay Merchant Trophy history 441 off 345 balls against Nagaland at Under-16 level.
Highest score at the MCG by any batter arriving at number eight or below in Test history 114 vs Australia, December 28 2024.
Youngest Andhra player to represent India in all three international formats within a 12-month period.
Retained by SRH for 6 crore after being signed for 20 lakhs — a 30-fold increase in IPL valuation in two years.
Only recognised all-rounder in IPL 2026 to bowl at least 3 overs per match consistently while batting in the middle order — per ESPNcricinfo’s analysis.
Also Read- Gurnoor Brar — The Fast Bowler of Punjab is Proud
Ireland Tour 2026 — Ruled Out with Injury
Nitish Kumar Reddy was named in the original India squad for the two-match T20I series against Ireland in Belfast starting June 26 2026. He was ruled out before the tour began with a left quadricep injury. Prasidh Krishna was named as one of the replacements for the squad.
His injury is a blow for a tour that was partly designed to give young players like him experience under the new captaincy of Shreyas Iyer. He will be aiming to be fit for the England T20I series that follows in July.
What Comes Next
Nitish Kumar Reddy is 23 years old. He has already scored a Test century at the MCG. He has taken match-winning IPL wickets. He is described by informed analysts as the only genuine all-rounder in the IPL right now. He plays all three formats for India.
The next step is consistency. He needs to convert good IPL seasons into dominant ones. He needs to translate his Test century into a consistent Test batting average. He needs to keep developing his bowling to the point where he is not just useful but genuinely threatening at international level.
The talent is there. The temperament proven under the brightest lights at the MCG on Boxing Day is there. The work ethic, shaped by watching his father cry from financial pressure and deciding that day to take his cricket seriously, is unquestionable.
Q: How old is Nitish Kumar Reddy?
A: Nitish Kumar Reddy is 23 years old as of June 2026. He was born on May 26 2003 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Q: Who is Nitish Kumar Reddy’s father?
A: Nitish Kumar Reddy’s father is Mutyala Reddy, a former employee of Hindustan Zinc who quit his stable government job to support his son’s cricket career. When Hindustan Zinc transferred him to Udaipur, Mutyala chose to resign and move the family to better cricket facilities rather than uproot his son from his training environment. Relatives thought he had lost his mind. Nitish went on to score a Test century at the MCG.
Q: What is Nitish Kumar Reddy’s highest score in Test cricket?
A: Nitish Kumar Reddy scored 114 against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 28 2024 — the Boxing Day Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 to 2025. It is the highest score at the MCG by any batter arriving at number eight or below in Test history.
Q: What is Nitish Kumar Reddy’s IPL team and price?
A: Nitish Kumar Reddy plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. He was signed for 20 lakhs at the 2023 IPL auction. SRH retained him for 6 crore ahead of IPL 2025 and he continued with SRH at the same price for IPL 2026.
Q: What are Nitish Kumar Reddy’s total IPL career stats?
A: Nitish Kumar Reddy has played 42 IPL matches. He has scored 787 runs at an average of 29.15 with a highest score of 76 not out. He has hit 50 fours and 46 sixes. He has taken 13 wickets at an economy of 10.65. He has also taken 22 catches in his IPL career.
Q: Is Nitish Kumar Reddy playing in India vs Ireland 2026?
A: No. Nitish Kumar Reddy was named in the original India squad for the Ireland T20I series starting June 26 2026 but was ruled out before the tour began with a left quadricep injury. Prasidh Krishna replaced him in the squad.
Q: What did Nitish Kumar Reddy say about his father’s sacrifice?
A: In a BCCI TV interview Nitish said: “To be honest, I was not that serious when I was young. My father left his job for me. There have been a lot of sacrifices behind my story. One day I saw him cry because of the financial crisis and that is when I got serious.”
Q: What is Nitish Kumar Reddy’s highest individual score in domestic cricket?
A: Nitish Kumar Reddy scored 441 off 345 balls for Andhra Under-16 against Nagaland in the Vijay Merchant Trophy. It is still the highest individual score in the tournament’s history.
Q: Who said Nitish Kumar Reddy is the only proper all-rounder in the IPL?
A: Deep Dasgupta, the former India wicketkeeper and cricket analyst, said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show during IPL 2026: “We don’t get to see too many allrounders in this tournament. I think Nitish is the only proper allrounder. Bats in the middle order, bowls more often than not at least three to four overs. So yeah, a proper all-rounder.”