Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) made a significant move by adding Smaran Ravichandran as a replacement of injured Australian spinner Adam Zampa. The 21-year-old from Karnataka is now a part of the SRH squad for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Who is Smaran Ravichandran? Smaran Ravichandran is a young and promising cricketer hailing from Mysuru, Karnataka. Smaran was born on May 5, 2003. His cricketing life began in a funny way. He was a mischievous kid, just like any other kid of his age, and so his parents decided to enroll him in cricket training in Vultures Cricket Club. Initially, he didn't take cricket seriously, but with passing days, Smaran fell in love with the game after watching legendary left-handed batters like Kumar Sangakkara and Michael Hussey. Early Career and Cricket Training Smaran's actual cricket training started at Syed Zabiulla's Academy in JP Nagar, Bengaluru. He began to showcase his talent early in life. In 2018, while playing an Under-16 KSCA inter-club tournament, the southpaw hammered a century, a double century, and even a triple century and this displayed his batting prowess. Domestic Cricket Journey FC Cricket Image Source: X Smaran made his First-Class debut for Karnataka against Madhya Pradesh in October 2024 where he scored 17 runs in 51 balls. Despite an ordinary start to his FC career, he went on to impress all with his solid batting in next nine innings he played in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. Ravichandran Smaran scored a total of 516 runs in 10 matches at an average of 65.57 with a wonderful double century against Punjab. List A Records Watch 🎥R Smaran's brilliant 101 (92) that helped Karnataka post 348/6 in the #Final against Vidarbha 💪💪#VijayHazareTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBankScorecard ▶️ https://t.co/ZZjfWXaajB pic.twitter.com/K1bmqDC5Ji — BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 18, 2025 The left-hander made his List A debut in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy against Mumbai, but the youngster did not get a chance to bat in his debut game. R Smaran batted in seven matches for Karnataka in VHT 2024-25 in which he amassed 433 runs with the help of two centuries and two half-centuries and he scored these runs at a strike rate of 100.23 and an average of 72.17. He was Man of the Match in the final, scoring 101 from 92 balls as Karnataka clinched the championship. T20 Career Smaran made his debut in T20s during the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scored 170 runs in 6 matches with an average of 34 and a brilliant strike rate of 212. His standout knock came against Tripura, where he smashed 57 runs off 31 balls and propelled Karnataka to pursue a massive score of 186 runs and he was also adjudged as the player of the Match for his match winning inning. Again, in a game against Sikkim, he scored 19 runs of just 7 balls, finishing the game on a high note. Ravichandran Smaran's Stats Format Matches Innings NO Runs HS Average Strike Rate 100s 50s 4s 6s FC 7 10 2 516 203 64.50 65.56 2 0 60 6 List A 10 7 1 433 101 72.16 100.23 2 2 29 16 T20s 6 6 1 170 57 34.00 170.00 0 1 13 12 CK Nayudu Trophy Breakthrough Before establishing himself as a recognized name, Smaran used to be left out in the selection. However, he gave a massive return in the CK Nayudu Trophy, scoring 829 runs, which caught selectors' and supporters' attention. Strong Show in Maharaja Trophy 2024 Image Source: Maharaja T20 Smaran also performed well in the 2024 Maharaja T20 Trophy for Gulbarga Mystics. He played nine innings and scored 302 runs, with a strike rate of 145.19 and an average of 43.14. He scored one century and two half-centuries during the tournament. IPL 2025: RCB to SRH The dream has never looked more real ✨Go well in Orange, Smaran 🫶🧡Ravichandran Smaran | #PlayWithFire | #TATAIPL2025 pic.twitter.com/AbEysyxm8U — SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 16, 2025 Interestingly, Smaran was a part Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) setup in the pre-season camp ahead of the IPL 2025, but RCB didn't bought him in the auction and the player remained unsold at his base price of INR 30 lacs. However, with Adam Zampa's injury, SRH signed him as a replacement. The team, under the leadership of Pat Cummins, realized his potential. This decision reflects the faith of SRH in young Indian talents. Smaran is set to leave his mark on the biggest T20 league in the world and a fine display of his skills would open the doors for International cricket for him. Conclusion Smaran Ravichandran's tale is a classic example of perseverance, genius, and never giving up hope. From being a mischievous child in Mysuru to becoming a member of Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025, his life has been nothing but inspirational. And now, everyone's eyes will be on him as he sports the orange jersey and prepares to make a star out of himself in the IPL.