Who is Aniket Verma? SRH'S New Recruit Who Smashed 16-Ball 46 In Practice Match

Aniket Verma was bought for INR 30 Lakh in the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction 2025 by the Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, nobody thought that he would hit 16-ball 46 in a practice match, also called a live game simulation, held by the team on March 15 (Saturday) ahead of the start of their IPL 2025 season.

It was the same game in which Ishan Kishan showed his prowess with a quickfire 60 as well. 

But then, who is this Aniket Verma, one would ask?

A batter from Madhya Pradesh, who is also capable of bowling medium pace when needed, Verma shot to fame after he smashed a century against Karnataka U-23 in the Men’s U-23 One-Day Inter-State tournament held by the BCCI.

Prior to that, the 22-year-old, who has represented Madhya Pradesh only once, in a T20 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25, had also slammed a ton in the All India Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament, held in Tamil Nadu. 

However, Verma’s first introduction to fame was in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League (MPPL), a 20-over competition, where he finished as the highest run-getter in the five matches that he played. 

Verma, playing for Bhopal Leopards, hit 244 runs in five innings at an average of 61 and a strike rate of 205.4. 

Born in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Verma chose to play for the neighbouring state Madhya Pradesh as, culturally and distance-wise, he could reach Bhopal faster than Lucknow.