Legendary West Indies batsman and former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Brian Lara believes Nitish Kumar Reddy, 20, will have a breakout season after shining in the Hyderabad’s last-over drama against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on Tuesday. Lara stated that Nitish's all-round exploits were not a fluke, and that Reddy has all the qualities of a Sunrisers regular.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, in only his ninth T20 game and fourth IPL appearance, hit 64 off 37 balls, helping Sunrisers recover from 66 for 4 in 10 overs to score 182 in 20 overs. Nitish hammered five sixes and four boundaries, demonstrating his range and remarkable big-hitting talent.

"As a coach last year, he was with us. This kid has so much talent. He works hard in the nets, bat and ball," Brian Lara told Star Sports.

"We had many, many conversations about him getting to play but because of where we were, that inexperience couldn't work for us. It's great to see him come out and pretty much stamp his position in that SRH team. I know Mayank Agarwal is injured, but this guy, he looks like he is ready to spend some time in the IPL," he added.

Nitish Kumar Reddy was named the Player of the Match after Sunrisers defended 182 runs, won the match by 2 runs.