Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has showered praise on Sunrisers Hyderabad uncapped batter Smaran Ravichandran. Pathan highlighted that the left-hander from Karnataka scores consistently in white and red-ball formats in the domestic circuit.

The southpaw has scored 1534 runs in 17 first-class matches at an impressive average of 73.04. Furthermore, the 22-year-old has scored 489 runs in 13 T20s at an average of 49.90 and a strike rate of 162.45.

The youngster has scored 604 runs in 14 List A innings at an average of 50.33. Ergo, he has performed consistently for Karnataka at the domestic level.

Meanwhile, SRH signed Smaran as a replacement for Adam Zampa midway through IPL 2025. But before he could play a game, Smaran himself was ruled out with an injury. The left-hander was retained ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction.

Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “Smaran Ravichandran is a bit of a rare talent. He scores runs in both white-ball and red-ball domestic cricket. If you look at the Ranji Trophy, he scored around 950 runs in the past year, which shows his consistency in red-ball cricket. Now, if you look at the Maharaja Trophy, he scored more than 400 runs at an excellent strike rate. Similarly, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he scored over 300 runs, where his average was above 50 and his strike rate was over 150.”

The former all-rounder said it would be difficult for Smaran to get his chances in the playing XI as SRH already has three left-handers in the top three – Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Ishan Kishan.

He added, “However, he is another left-handed batter. So the question is, where does a left-handed batter fit into the lineup? He is a very exciting talent, but breaking into the playing XII might be a bit difficult because the current batting lineup is already power-packed. Still, keep an eye on this player.”

The IPL 2026 season will begin with reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Ahmedabad, on March 28.