Nitish Kumar Reddy produced a fiery spell in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) Super League on Friday, grabbing his maiden T20 hat-trick to derail Madhya Pradesh’s run-chase early in the contest. Returning to the Andhra squad after the IND vs SA ODI series, the all-rounder made an immediate impact, dismantling MP’s top-order in three consecutive deliveries.
Reddy first bowled Harsh Gawali for 5, setting the tone for a dramatic over. On the very next ball, Harpreet Singh fell for a golden duck after edging one to Ricky Bhui. Reddy then completed his hat-trick by removing MP captain Rajat Patidar, who departed for another golden duck. Before this match, Reddy had just eight wickets from 37 T20 games, making the feat even more remarkable.
The Andhra all-rounder also contributed with the bat, scoring 25 off 27 deliveries to finish as his team’s second-highest scorer. Despite his efforts, Andhra were bowled out for 112 runs, but Reddy’s early breakthroughs gave them a fighting chance as MP stumbled at the start of their chase.
The moment quickly went viral on social media, with fans and analysts sharing clips of the hat-trick and praising Reddy’s development as a rising all-round talent.
SMAT Super League – December 12 Fixtures
Group A – Andhra vs Madhya Pradesh, DY Patil Academy, Pune, 9 AM
Group B – Haryana vs Rajasthan, MCA Stadium, Pune, 11 AM
Group A – Punjab vs Jharkhand, DY Patil Academy, Pune, 1:30 PM
Group B – Mumbai vs Hyderabad, MCA Stadium, Pune, 4:30 PM
