Indian Premier League (IPL) joyous on-field moments when big shots are hit and wickets get tamed aside it also includes the funny and loved moments between the players and the fans like Nitish Kumar Reddy and His Marriage Plans!
With IPL 2025 starting at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on March 23, a similar comical incident took place during the SRH vs RR match.
During this match, SRH all rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was standing next to the Boundary line as Rajasthan Royals chased an imposing target of 287 during the second innings. The action on the field once it wasn’t a game, but the fans in the bleachers decided to devote a little airtime to their target, in jokey fashion.
Fan interaction
While Nitesh was fielding close to the boundary, a group of fans were interested in Nitish Kumar Reddy and His Marriage Plans, the passionate SRH fans caught his eye and were yelling at him to marry them. The ultras kept singing and kept asking the question. Nitish was focused on his fielding duties and tried to ignore the comments at first. Eventually he spun around, shy smile at the ready, placating fans who’d jokingly called out the query as the chants, dozens-strong, built.
This brief, light-hearted moment with the cricketer and the jolly fans was caught on camera, and the video soon went viral on social platforms. As soon everyone else commented on the reaction of Nitish Kumar Reddy and His Marriage Plans, it was a light moment for cricket fans and also he was a fan of Nitish Kumar Reddy.
The Viral Video and the Social Media Response
Within minutes of the video’s appearance on platforms like Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, it garnered thousands of views and shares. Fans flooded the comments section with funny replies, asking Nitish to reveal say when he was getting married.
Popular comments included:
“Nitish bhai, cricket first, marriage second! (Nitish bhai, first cricket, then marriage!)
“Century first in @IPL and then marriage! Priorities bhai!”
“Nitish’s reaction was beyond priceless. He blushed for a moment!”
In 2018, he said: “The Hyderabad fans are amazing; even in a loss, it is a lot of fun to play the game!
A New Benchmark — Match Report of SRH vs RR
The banter with Nitish Kumar Reddy was one among several highlights of this enthralling IPL 2025 encounter. Indeed, in the end, the match turned out to be a high-scoring shootout in which Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) scored a mammoth 286 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their designated 20 overs.
SRH’s Fiery Batting: Runs Galore
SRH, known for its explosive batting in IPL 2024, continued in the same vein as the season began with a SRH vs RR IPL 2025 High-Voltage Thriller. Despite Captain Pat Cummins losing the toss, RR skipper Riyan Parag made the decision to bowl first, a decision he might have regretted as the innings panned out.
The pitch at Hyderabad, at least on Friday, is one that tends to play into the hands of batsmen, and SRH’s Mexican pack-of-cards batting order had a field-day.
Opening
Travis Head (67 off 31):The innings was set up by opener Travis Head, who embarked on an attack on RR’s bowling line-up. He scored 67 off just 31 balls, hitting 8 fours and 3 sixes, at a strike rate of 216.12.
Head’s onslaught started in the very first over against Jofra Archer, who was clobbered for 23 runs, which included four boundaries and a colossal six. This onslaught enabled SRH to take a flying start in the powerplay, at 94/1 in the sixth over—one of the highest totals in powerplay in IPL history.
Abhishek Sharma (24 off 11): Along with Head, Abhishek Sharma lived up to his reputation as half of “Travishek” with a barrage of big shots. Abhishek, with 24 off 11 balls, including 5 fours, attacked Fazalhaq Farooqi with three boundaries on the trot in the second over.
But he did not last long and was out in the third over, bowled by Maheesh Theekshana and caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal at point. Though Abhishek departed early, his cameo helped SRH not lose touch with the game.
Middle Order
Ishan Kishan (106 off 47):The highlight of the day however was SRH’s new find, Ishan Kishan, who scored a sublime unbeaten 106 off 47 balls in his franchise debut. Kishan, who batted at No. 3, belted 11 fours and 6 sixes at a breathless strike rate of 225.53, which helped him be adjudged the Player of the Match.
His innings started with boundaries in bunches, and escalated when he took on Jofra Archer, hitting back-to-back sixes to get to his fifty in 25 balls. It was Kishan’s first IPL hundred, which he reached off only 45 balls, and he received a standing ovation from the Hyderabad crowd. His unbeaten knock kept SRH on track for a big score.
Nitish Kumar Reddy (30 off 15):Local boy Nitish Reddy added to the onslaught with a quick-fire 30 off 15 balls (2 fours, 2 sixes). Reddy, who came in after Head’s exit, wasted no time, clattering Archer and Theekshana at a strike rate of 200. Kishan and he kicked on from there with their partnership before Tushar Deshpande got him out in the 17th over.
Lower Order
Heinrich Klaasen (34 off 14):The hard hitting South African Heinrich Klaasen took the finishing touches with a brutal 34 off 14
balls, that included 3 overs and 2 sixes. A 95-m six off Theekshana and three consecutive fours off Archer in the 18th over took SRH near the 300-run mark. Klaasen fell to Deshpande, caught by Parag at long-on, but not before the total was out of reach.
Aniket Verma 7 (3), Abhinav Manohar 0 (1):Verma, on debut, hit a six off his second ball but departed cheaply; so did Manohar, to Deshpande, who picked both of them up in the last over. These late hick-ups not withstanding, SRH ended up with 286/6 — the second-highest score in IPL history, one short of their own record of 287 set in 2024.
