As the Indian Premier League 2026 heads towards its business end, the spotlight is once again firmly on the all-rounders who continue to shape the fate of franchises in pressure situations. Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes one player has stood above the rest this season, a star from Sunrisers Hyderabad.

With teams battling intensely for playoff spots, Chopra hailed the talented lad as the best all-rounder of IPL 2026 so far, highlighting his influence with both bat and ball throughout the campaign. The former cricketer particularly pointed his growing maturity, improved bowling pace, and ability to deliver in multiple phases of an innings.

Aakash Chopra picks best all-rounder of IPL 2026

Speaking after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s commanding win over Punjab Kings, Chopra picked Nitish Reddy as the best amongst all-rounders this season. He explained why Nitish has become such a valuable asset for SRH this season. According to him, the youngster has brought rare balance to the side by contributing consistently across departments.

Chopra emphasized that no other all-rounder in the tournament has managed to combine impactful batting numbers with wicket-taking performances as effectively as Nitish. He noted that the team looked noticeably weaker during the one match the youngster missed due to illness, underlining his importance in the playing XI.

“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,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.

The former India batter also praised Nitish for consciously working on increasing his bowling pace. Chopra observed that the improvement was not accidental but the result of dedicated effort and awareness about what his team required from him in the current format.

“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,” the former opener added.

He further appreciated the way Nitish has adapted to different match situations, bowling seam-up deliveries in the Powerplay while also delivering useful overs in the middle phase. Chopra added that such versatility is what separates elite T20 all-rounders from ordinary utility players.

“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,” Chopra added further.

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SRH continue dominant run with big win over PBKS

Nitish’s growing reputation comes at a time when Sunrisers Hyderabad are enjoying an excellent run in IPL 2026. In their latest outing at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, SRH defeated Punjab Kings by 33 runs in a high-scoring thriller to move to the top of the points table.

Batting first, Hyderabad produced another batting masterclass and posted a daunting total of 235/4. Heinrich Klaasen led the charge with a blistering 69 off 43 deliveries, while Ishan Kishan continued his fine form with a rapid 55 off 32 balls. Punjab Kings’ fielding woes added to their misery as multiple dropped catches allowed SRH batters to capitalize fully.

In reply, Punjab Kings suffered an early collapse after losing key wickets inside the Powerplay, including captain Shreyas Iyer. Although young Australian batter Cooper Connolly produced a sensational unbeaten century, smashing 107 off just 59 balls, the target proved too steep in the end.

SRH skipper Pat Cummins played a crucial role with the ball, finishing with figures of 2/34 and guiding his side smartly in crunch moments. His leadership and disciplined bowling earned him the Player of the Match award as Hyderabad handed Punjab Kings their third consecutive defeat.

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