New Delhi: Aniket Verma stole the show with his fiery cameo for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 opener against Royal
Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. Aniket smashed 43 off just 18 balls as he played a blinder to propel SRH to a strong total of 201/9 in 20 overs.
The right-hander, who turned heads with his big-hitting ability last season, picked up from where he had left off in IPL 2025 as he displayed his hitting prowess against RCB. Aniket’s quickfire 43 was laced with four sixes and three fours as he took the RCB bowlers to the cleaners in the death overs to propel SRH past the 200-run mark.
Aniket went all guns blazing against Romario Shepherd in the 19th over, smashing the RCB pacer for a six, four and a six on back-to-back deliveries to inch closer to his fifty. However, he was denied a well-deserved half-century after getting caught by Virat Kohli on 43 on the final ball of the over.
SRH got off to a horror start in their innings after being asked to bat first by RCB in their opener. However, a stunning 38-ball 80 from skipper Ishan Kishan and a quickfire 43 from Aniket helped them stage a fightback and post a strong total of 201 runs on the board in 20 overs.
All you need to know about Aniket Verma
Aniket Verma is a 24-year-old batter who plays for Madhya Pradesh in the domestic circuit and the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Aniket had not played a T20 match at the senior level when he was picked up by SRH ahead of IPL 2025. He rose to fame after his heroics for the Sunrisers in the IPL last season.
Aniket made his debut for SRH against the Rajasthan Royals last season and went on to smash 36 off 13 balls, laced with five sixes in his second game for the franchise. He followed it up with a blistering 74 off 41 balls against the Delhi Capitals. Aniket played all 14 matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2025 and finished with 236 runs at a strike rate of 166.19.
Despite not having played a T20 game at the senior level at the time of the IPL 2025 auction, Aniket was picked by SRH based on his big-hitting ability. He had gained a reputation as a middle-order basher after impressing for MP’s U-23 team and smashing 273 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 195.00 for Bhopal Leopards in the Madhya Pradesh T20 League in 2024.
How Aniket’s uncle shaped his cricketing career
Aniket’s uncle played an instrumental role in shaping his cricketing career, acting as a constant support system for the cricketer after he lost his mother at a young age. Aniket was only three when his mother passed away. His uncle Amit decided to bring him from Jhansi, the city where he was born, to Bhopal to look after him.
His brother and Aniket’s father, Umashankar, got married again, prompting Amit to bring his cousin to Bhopal from Jhansi. Amit started working at 18 to manage the family finances and pushed Aniket towards cricket. He made several sacrifices to provide for Aniket and manage the costs of his training, kits and travel.
Amit would often motivate Aniket by sharing stories of other cricketers, including India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who came from a humble background and made it big. Aniket shares an emotional bond with his uncle and gifted him a pair of shoes after IPL 2025 to honour his contributions towards his cricketing career.
