SRH batsmen run between the wickets during the IPL 2026 match against CSK. (Photo credit: IPL) NEW DELHI: Sunrisers Hyderabad star Heinrich Klaasen brought up the bat in a press conference as well, making it clear that he is unfazed by the criticism over his scoring rate in IPL 2026. Klaasen’s 59 off 39 balls proved decisive as SRH posted 194/9 to see off a tight Chennai Super King encounter.Despite leading the run charts this season, Klaasen’s strike tally has dipped compared to last year, prompting scrutiny. However, the South African batsman dismissed the noise and stressed that match awareness is more important than numbers.
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RCB admit batting failure after narrow defeat | IPL 2026 “I’ve been in difficult situations and you have to take responsibility for it and be mature about it. You can’t just bat away – that’s not how the game works. We get paid to do the job and I don’t care about the strike rate,” Klaasen said, underscoring his approach to adapting to conditions and building meaningful innings.“You can’t just blow yourself up”: Klaasen explains his approachKlaasen clarified that his role often requires stability rather than outright aggression, especially when the first goals are scored. “I know a lot has been said about my strikeouts this season, but I’ve put the team in good positions. I’m just doing my job,” he said. He highlighted the challenges, adding that situations like losing a few wickets quickly make him rein in his natural attacking instincts. “It’s not like I can just bat. If you lose another wicket, you’re five down. So it’s about finding different ways to score 10 runs and still get a good score on the board.”His innings came on a slow surface where SRH were just 30 at the end of the over, which further explains the measured approach. Klaasen’s knock along with a brilliant 59 off 22 from Abhishek Sharma laid the foundation for a competitive total even as bowlers like Jamie Overton and Anshul Kamboj kept CSK in the contest.In response, CSK threatened with contributions from Ayush Mhatre, Matthew Short and Sarfaraz Khan, but the SRH bowlers, led by Eshan Malinga and Nitish Kumar Reddy, were nervous to death.
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The win moved SRH to fourth in the table and reinforced Klaasen’s point – impact matters more than optics.
