There is no doubt that Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) batting lineup is one of the most fearsome in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. With the likes of Heinrich Klassen, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Nitish Reddy in the team, no team would have thought a newcomer like Aniket Verma would give teams a nightmarish experience. DC encountered first hand exposure to Verma's six-hitting skill when the right-hand batter struck six sixes in his knock of 74 runs, which came off just 41 balls.
The 23-year-old came into bat when SRH's explosive batters Abhishek, Head, Klassen, and Reddy were dismissed. Verma did not show any kind of nerves and took the attack to the opposition by batting with superb clarity. He ended up getting his first IPL fifty and showed the world that he belongs at this level.
However, not many people know his backstory, as Verma's love affair with big hits was first seen by SRH scouts in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League in 2024. The right-hand batter scored 273 runs in six innings, which also included a stunning 32-ball 100. The 23-year-old hit 25 sixes in the competition and was miles ahead of the next best. It was his exploits with the MPPL league that caught the attention of the SRH scouts. They called him for a trial, and he capitalized on that chance.
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"First in the PowerPlay, we were told to score 65 in 6 overs," he recalled to Cricbuzz. "We had to do it in pairs, and if we got out, we'd have to sit out of the simulation. We achieved that easily. In the second scenario, we were told to score 85+ in 8 overs. We got that in 4 overs. They'd asked us to play the entire six overs (in the first scenario) and I made 72-odd in that. In the second one, I scored 64 out of the 85."
Aniket Verma's uncle recalls the moment the SRH batter fell in love with cricket
Aniket is extremely close with his uncle, as ever since his mother passed away, it was his uncle that used to take care of him and of his cricket training. The uncle, who is now super proud of his success, fondly recalls an incident when Aniket first fell in love with cricket.
"Even when he was six months old, among all the toys laid out for him, he would go pick the bat and ball," Amit says. "When other relatives used to visit and see this, they would joke that maybe he'll go on to become a cricketer."
It is to be noted that it was Aniket's uncle, Amit, who matched his determination to play cricket and took it upon himself to make his dream turn into reality.
Also Read: IPL 2025 Match 10 DC vs SRH Highlights: Clinical Delhi Capitals Secure Second Win Of The Season
"When I started playing cricket, people in my family were not supportive. We were not strong financially," Aniket offers. "It was my uncle who used to support me. He liked cricket too and he saw that even I was interested in it. So he told me, 'You play, I am with you. You do whatever you want, I am with you. Don't worry about anything.' So he supported me in everything, everywhere. Even if he couldn't fulfill his own needs, he would fulfill mine."
Although SRH went down by seven wickets against DC, SRH has certainly unearthed a new six-hitter in Aniket Verma.
