In a surprising turn of events, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of today's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 clash against Delhi Capitals (DC). The crucial 55th match of the season is being held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday, May 5.

While earlier speculation suggested that Nitish had been dropped due to underwhelming performances, it has now been officially confirmed that the youngster is actually unwell. The franchise announced via its official social media handles that Reddy is suffering from a stomach infection and was hence unavailable for selection.

“Nitish Kumar Reddy misses out tonight as he's unwell,” SRH posted on their official X (formerly Twitter) account, putting to rest rumours of a form related omission.

ALSO SEE:WATCH: Former football manager Gareth Southgate reflects upon his fond memories of Cricket

Illness Rules Out Key All-Rounder as SRH Make Strategic Changes for Crucial Playoff Clash

Nitish Kumar Reddy has had a challenging season so far. Having recovered from a side strain he sustained after the Border Gavaskar Trophy, the 21-year-old could not get into his groove in IPL 2025. In the 10 games he played, Reddy scored only 173 runs at a strike rate of 113.91. Moreover, he hasn’t bowled a single over this season likely a precautionary move following his injury.

His limited contribution with both bat and ball had already raised questions about his role in the side, especially with SRH fighting to stay alive in the playoffs race. However, the current absence is not performance-based, but purely due to illness.

SRH made three changes to their playing XI for this do-or-die fixture. Sachin Baby, Abhinav Manohar, and young pacer Eshan Malinga were brought in, replacing Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Shami, and Kamindu Mendis.

Here is SRH’s Playing XI for the match: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Sachin Baby, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (captain), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, and Eshan Malinga.

With Reddy sidelined and the playoffs looming, SRH will hope that the new additions can step up in what could be a defining game in their IPL 2025 campaign.