Heinrich Klaasen’s 39-ball 59 ensured that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) maintained the momentum through the middle overs after Abhishek Sharma’s blistering start against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Even as wickets fell at regular intervals around him, the South African held firm, guiding the side to its highest Indian Premier League (IPL) total against CSK.

While runs have continued to flow from his bat, his strike rate has drawn scrutiny. This season, he has scored at 144.39 – significantly lower than his previous highs of over 170.

Notably, he has also been among the slowest starters, striking at 106.66 in his first 10 deliveries.

Earlier this month, Klaasen admitted he needed to improve his scoring rate. However, after steering SRH to a narrow 10-run win on Saturday, he emphasised that his priority was navigating difficult situations rather than focusing on strike rate.

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“I have been coming in at situations where we have lost four wickets in one or two overs. So I cannot go right from the start. I need to get the job done. In difficult situations, you have to take responsibility and be mature,” he explained.

“We get paid to do the job, and I don’t care about strike rate. I know there has been a lot said about it this season, but I have been putting the team in good positions, and I am just doing my job,” he said.

“The wicket was good enough. We lost too many wickets up front, and we needed to get to that 220 mark. I thought CSK bowled extremely well at the back, and that’s why we didn’t get there.”

Klaasen also noted that the early loss of wickets led to Liam Livingstone being introduced as the Impact Player, even if it meant the likes of Nitish Kumar had to complete their full quota.

“Nitish has been bowling brilliantly. That gives us the luxury to make brave decisions like that. We know that the wicket is not going to spin a lot, so we didn’t mind him bowling the couple of overs that he did.”

Published on Apr 19, 2026