India, May 3 -- Nitish Kumar Reddy missed Sunrisers Hyderabad's IPL 2026 match against Kolkata Knight Riders due to illness, forcing SRH into a change for their home fixture in Hyderabad on Sunday.

SRH captain Pat Cummins confirmed the update at the toss after winning it and opting to bat first. Cummins said Nitish tried to make himself available for the match but could not recover in time.

"Nitish misses out due to illness. He tried to get up but he misses out. Smaran comes in for his first game. Also, Harshal Patel in for Harsh Dubey," Cummins said at the toss.

The update made it clear that Nitish was not dropped on form or left out for tactical reasons. His absence was a fitness-enforced call, with illness keeping him out of the pla...