Nitish Kumar Reddy hits 139kph after Steffan Jones camp
Nitish Kumar Reddy reached 139kph in IPL 2026 after a week-long pre-season programme with Steffan Jones, a pace jump that followed contact made through Instagram in February. The Sunrisers Hyderabad allrounder wanted one-on-one work and got ten sessions over seven days at Bengaluru's Padukone-Dravid Centre of Sports Excellence.
February Contact With Jones
Reddy reached out through his manager after seeing Jones' fast-bowling and biomechanics videos on Instagram. Jones said he reviewed Reddy's videos on YouTube, social media and clips Reddy had shared before agreeing to the work.
Jones said he was heading to South Africa, where he has an academy in Stellenbosch, and could come for a week. Reddy said the timing mattered because he was desperate to get the work done before the IPL.
Bengaluru Sessions And Speed
Jones structured the camp around lower-body power, upper-body power and ball velocity, using heavy, light and normal balls. He also used video analysis with AI tools and a machine that measures run-up speed, force and patterns.
The coach said he found Reddy ran in on an angle, with his pelvis facing fine leg, and spent too long on back-foot contact. Jones said the point was to fine-tune technique and wake up certain muscle so speed gains could follow.
Reddy said, “I knew this was a big season for me.” He also said, “The one thing that bothered me over the past year was that my athleticism wasn't translating into my bowling performance or speed.”
IPL 2026 Overs For Reddy
That work has shown up in the numbers. Last week, one of Reddy's deliveries was clocked at 139kph, up from the mid-120s not long ago.
Over the past five games this season, he has bowled nine overs. Through the entirety of IPL 2025, he bowled five overs, giving Sunrisers Hyderabad a clearer measure of how much the short pre-IPL block changed his role.
Jones said he had not previously seen Reddy bowl and started by reviewing clips before the programme. Reddy said he wanted to invest in himself, and the speed increase has already translated into more overs this season.
