Aniket Verma has turned heads in IPL 2025, and it’s not luck by chance. SunRisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) newest star made bowlers suffer in his three outings this season, with his best coming against the Delhi Capitals in the just-concluded game in Vizag on Sunday. Coming in at a time when the chips were down, Aniket got a lifeline in the sixth over when Abishek Porel dropped him, later making the most of this chance and slamming bowlers to all parts of the ground.

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Even during his second IPL game against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at home, Aniket smoked five sixes in his brief stay at the crease, scoring 36 off just 13 balls. However, his best came against Delhi on Saturday, when he hit his maiden IPL fifty (74 off 41 balls). The 23-year-old came out to bat in the third over and departed in the 16th, hitting bowlers for six sixes and five fours.

Also read | IPL 2025: Starc picks five-for as Delhi Capitals hit jackpot against SunRisers Hyderabad in Vizag

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His clean striking with the bat and commendable foot movement caught everyone’s attention, with countless fans wondering where this wonder kid emerged from. His ability to read the game situation and play accordingly earned him praises from all quarters, with last year’s runners-up showing a willingness to give this youngster more chances this season.

Who is Aniket Verma?

Hailing from Bhopal, Aniket was raised by his uncle Amit Verma following his mother’s death at an early age. Born to go places, Aniket picked up a cricket bat quite early in his life (at six), but a tough financial situation meant he would not get formal coaching back in the day. 

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Although he did not get support from his extended family in wanting to pursue a cricket career, his uncle’s fondness for this game, and having watched the fire and desire in Aniket’s eyes to make it big, he backed him to chase his dream. 

A 10-year-old Aniket joined the Ankur Cricket Academy in Bhopal, where Jyoti Prakash Tyagi, the coach, took him under his wing. With each passing year, the right-handed batter climbed up through age-group cricket, impressing his coaches with massive scores at the inter-division levels. 

Soon after, he joined the Faith Cricket Club on the city's outskirts, where he began realising his dream of playing top-flight cricket. 

Aniket rose to the limelight with his heroics in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League last season, where he top-scored with 273 runs in six matches, which included a 32-ball hundred and 25 sixes throughout, earning him a trial with the SunRisers Hyderabad ahead of the mega auction late last year, and, when it came around, he left no stone unturned to make it count.

"First in the Powerplay, we were told to score 65 in 6 overs," Aniket said in an exclusive chat with 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."

Such efforts were, however, enough for the SRH to consider him for the impending season, buying him at his base price of INR 30 Lakh at the auction.

(With inputs from agencies)