New Delhi, May 3 -- Smaran Ravichandran's dream of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) finally came true on Sunday after the Karnataka batter was named in the Sunrisers Hyderabad playing Xi against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

A highly rated batter in Karnataka in domestic cricket, Smaran replaced all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who missed out due to illness, skipper Pat Cummins informed during the coin toss. Along with Smaran, Sunrisers Hyderabad have also brought in Harshal Patel, replacing Harsh Dubey.

"We'll bat first. Pitch looks good and it's very hot, we'll bat and post a total. I'm not good at reading the pitches, it looks nice and must be high scoring. Nitish misses out. He's...