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Nitish Reddy has been named the best all-rounder of IPL 2026 so far, with Aakash Chopra putting his case front and center after Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Punjab Kings by 33 runs. The call came after SRH moved to the top of the points table, and it leaned on Reddy’s batting, bowling, and the drop-off Chopra said the side felt when he missed a match.
Aakash Chopra on Nitish Reddy
“He is the best all-rounder of this tournament at the moment. No other all-rounder has scored 200 runs and taken five or more wickets. The team suddenly started looking weak when he missed a match. He was unwell, and the moment he comes back, looks brilliant,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s win over Punjab Kings.
That assessment rested on two clear outputs: 200 runs and at least five wickets. In a season where all-rounders are being judged on whether they can shift games in more than one discipline, Reddy’s numbers are the reason Chopra moved him to the front of the conversation.
Rajiv Gandhi Stadium margin
Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Punjab Kings by 33 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, a result built on 235/4. Heinrich Klaasen made 69 off 43 deliveries, and Ishan Kishan added 55 off 32 balls as SRH’s top order put Punjab under pressure early.
The batting total left Punjab chasing a steep target, and SRH made the most of it at the top of the standings. The win also kept Reddy’s role in focus because the side looked less settled when he missed a match through illness, according to Chopra.
Reddy’s bowling phases
Chopra also pointed to how Reddy has been used with the ball. “He is bowling in different phases. Why does your pace increase? It’s because you feel you need to increase your pace. The pace won’t increase automatically. He realized he had to do something. So he worked for that and has come after increasing his pace,” he said.
He added, “He bowls seam-up deliveries in the Powerplay and picks up crucial wickets. He gives one or two overs in the middle overs as well. He has been consistently performing and contributing.” That spread across the innings is what separates a useful bowler from a full all-round option, and it is why his name now sits above the other all-rounders in Chopra’s assessment.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad, the immediate value is simple: Reddy gives them batting depth, wicket-taking options, and flexibility in the Powerplay and middle overs. For the rest of IPL 2026, the standard Chopra set is sharper still — an all-rounder must be producing across both skills, not just contributing in one.
