New Delhi, March 15 : Nitish Kumar Reddy has been given the green light by the BCCI's medical team at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to take part in IPL 2025. He will be available for Sunrisers Hyderabad's opening match on March 23, when they host Rajasthan Royals. Nitish is expected to join the SRH pre-season camp, which begins on Sunday.

The final step in his recovery was a yo-yo test on Saturday morning, where he recorded a score of 18 - comfortably surpassing the qualifying mark of 16.5, ESPNcricinfo reported. This milestone confirmed his readiness after undergoing the standard rehabilitation process for a side strain he sustained during last month's T20I series against England.

On Friday, Nitish played in a practice match and bowled at full intensity without any discomfort. The BCCI's medical panel took a cautious approach with his recovery, extending his rehab by two weeks beyond the initial three-week estimate. He remains a key part of India's Test plans, with a tour of England scheduled shortly after the IPL concludes in late May.

SRH had retained five players ahead of last year's mega auction, with Nitish among them. He enjoyed a breakthrough IPL 2024 season, scoring 303 runs at a strike rate of 142.92. His bowling, however, was less effective, managing just three wickets while conceding runs at an economy of 11.62.

Following his IPL success, Nitish made his international debut in the T20I series against Bangladesh at home. His reputation soared further when he played all five Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, highlighted by a maiden Test century in Melbourne.

After returning from the tour, Nitish had expressed interest in training with former India bowling coach Bharat Arun in Chennai. However, the plan did not materialise due to his side strain setback. Now fully fit, he is set to return to action and make an impact for SRH in IPL 2025.

/IANS