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Smaran Ravichandran has been handed his IPL debut by Sunrisers Hyderabad after Nitish Kumar Reddy missed out against KKR due to illness
Smaran Ravichandran in Sunrisers Hyderabad colours. Smaran Ravichandran's dream of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) finally came true on Sunday after the Karnataka batter was named in the Sunrisers Hyderabad playing Xi against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
A highly rated batter in Karnataka in domestic cricket, Smaran replaced all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who missed out due to illness, skipper Pat Cummins informed during the coin toss. Along with Smaran, Sunrisers Hyderabad have also brought in Harshal Patel, replacing Harsh Dubey.
“We'll bat first. Pitch looks good and it's very hot, we'll bat and post a total. I'm not good at reading the pitches, it looks nice and must be high scoring. Nitish misses out. He's got a bit of illness, Smaran comes in for his first game and Harshal Patel replaces Harsh Dubey,” said Cummins during coin toss.
All you need to know about Smaran Ravichandran
Smaran first came limelight during his U-19 days when he was scoring a lot for his state side Karnataka. However, a stress fracture in early 2020, sidelined him for almost eight months. On return to cricket, Smaran missed out on a place in the Indian team for the U19 World Cup in 2022.
Using the heartbreak as confidence, Smaran finally made his first-class debut for Karanataka senior side in 2024. Since then, there has been no looking back for the left-hander southpaw. His biggest breakthrough came in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare trophy, finishing as Karnataka's second-highest run-getter with 433 runs with two hundreds and two fifties.
The highlight of Smaran's career came in the 2025-26 season of Ranji Trophy, as the Karnataka batter finished on top of the list for most runs with 950 runs in nine matches with a best of 227 not out.
SRH vs KKR playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Rider: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga
About the Author
Koushik Paul
Koushik lives and breathes sports. After transitioning from his own aspirations of becoming a professional athlete, he successfully channeled that lifelong passion into a prolific career, documenting the action both from the sidelines and the editorial desk. With over eight years of industry experience, Koushik joined LiveMint as a Deputy Chief Content Producer in 2024, following impactful stints at Outlook India, India.com, Sportskeeda, Women’s CricZone, and OrissaPOST. A 2017 Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from Maharaja Manindra Chandra College, Kolkata, Koushik has reported on high-profile events including the FIFA U17 World Cup 2017, Ranji Trophy, FIH Pro League, FIH World League finals, the Indian Premier League, and Lionel Messi’s historic visit to Kolkata in 2025. <br><br> While he possesses a versatile command over all sports, he finds his niche in cricket, specializing in breaking news, long-form interviews, global sporting updates, and high-energy live blogs. Koushik’s professional perspective was further sharpened through the 2020 AIPS Young Reporters Programme, where he gained invaluable insights from renowned international journalists, including Keir Radnedge and Riccardo Romani from the United Kingdom, and Martin Mazur from Argentina. Currently based between Kolkata and Delhi, Koushik remains at the forefront of the breaking developments that shape the public sporting discourse. When he isn't tracking scores or deconstructing plays, he can be found exploring new landscapes on his travels or channeling his creative energy into the kitchen. <br><br> If you have a compelling story to share or know an individual who deserves the spotlight, please reach out via email at <a href="koushik.paul@htdigital.in">koushik.paul@htdigital.in</a>.
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