SRH finished 6th on the IPL 2025 points table.
Daniel Vettori, the head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), has explained why Nitish Kumar Reddy didn't bowl much this season and defended Mohammed Shami's subpar Indian Premier League (IPL) performance.
Vettori claimed that Shami's performance in this year's IPL was impacted by the absence of T20 cricket (IPL matches). The 34-year-old has played nine games, taken six wickets, but leaked runs at 11.23. He has not been selected for the forthcoming Test series against England.
In the second leg of the tournament, the SRH administration benched Shami, who was selected for Rs 10 crore in the big auction.
"It was a long time ago that he played T20 cricket (IPL), so it always takes a little bit to acclimate back into it. The game has progressed very quickly over those 18 months since the last time he played for GT and was a Purple Cap winner.
I just think the challenge is remaining consistent for him. I think that's where he's at his best when he hits that length, and he probably just wasn't at that metronomically best that we've seen in the past, and that's partly a long layoff, and that's partly the game. I know that he worked exceptionally hard and he was desperate to do well, but it just wasn't quite his season, but there's no reason why he can't bounce back because of the quality of the bowler that he is,” Daniel Vettori said in a press conference after SRH’s huge 110-run win over KKR.
Shami's last IPL appearance was with the Gujarat Titans in 2023, where he claimed the Purple Cap and grabbed 28 wickets. But in December of last year, the speedster also represented Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, taking 11 wickets in nine appearances.
Vettori also revealed the reason why Nitish Reddy bowled so little in the IPL 2025 season. He stated that Reddy came into the tournament with a side strain that he managed throughout the season. He struggled with the bat as he managed only 182 runs in 11 innings and bowled only in three matches.
"He brought a side strain into the tournament, which, obviously, he had throughout, which is the reason why he missed a lot of cricket prior to that, and then it was just a slow, meticulous build-up. He was ready just before the tournament break, so we anticipated him bowling maybe the last five to six games, which was what happened, so it was purely down to injury," he said.
On Reddy's batting, the SRH head coach said, "I mean, it's always tricky; that role, the number four or five position, is one of the most difficult in IPL, and he's always normally coming in on the back of that aggressive style. We know that Nitish, when he's at his best, gives himself a chance, builds his innings, and then can capitalize at the end against pace and spin. I think it's just one of those seasons that's a little bit of a learning experience for him, but he's too good a player not to bounce back.”
With six wins and seven losses in the IPL 2025, SRH finished 6th on the points table.
(ANI inputs)