Retired South African batsman Heinrich Klaasen silenced his critics over a slow-paced attack after Sunrisers Hyderabad secured a 10-run win over Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal on Saturday.
The former South African batsman, who led the charts with his bat, got his tenth fifty in the Indian Premier League and helped SRH to defend the respectable total. With 283 runs to his name in six matches, Klaasen has come under constant scrutiny for his success. In IPL 2026, Klaasen scored at a strike rate of 144.39, much lower than his previous season high of over 170.
“I know a lot has been said about my success this season, but I’ve put the team in good positions and I’m just doing my job,” Klaasen told reporters after Saturday’s game.
Against CSK, Klaasen scored a fifty off 31 balls before Anshul Khamboj possessed him. His innings included six fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 151.28. “I’ve been in tough situations and you have to take responsibility for it and be mature about it. You can’t just deal with it – that’s not how the game works. We get paid to do the job and I don’t care about the strike rate. You have to be mature about it and find different ways to score 10 runs and make sure you still get good scores on the board.
Once known as the best six hitter in T20, Heinrich Klaasen used to be the best t20 batsman in the modern era whom bowlers feared to bowl.
Just imagine if Heinrich Klaasen hadn’t retired, the game continued after South Africa had their 1st ICC glory
pic.twitter.com/HnoZNjVj1x— Dilkesh (@Dilkesh1807) April 18, 2026
EYE GYM FOR REFLECTIONS?
The South African batsman explained how visiting an “eye gym” in Cape Town in the off-season helped sharpen his reflexes.
“It’s all your personal agenda and it’s just a big decision-making tool under pressure. It’s about a 10-minute session a day, and in that time you make about four to five hundred decisions under pressure, within a certain time frame and with a reaction,” Klaasen explained. “I still keep up with the pace of the game and that has kept me calm – not playing more cricket because 150 doesn’t feel like 150 when you see the ball nicely. When you feel out of sync, 135 feels like 150 and that doesn’t happen.”
Klaasen’s knock against CSK helped the team put 194 runs on the board. It was SRH’s third win in a rowwhich helped the team reach the top four in the table. They next host Delhi Capitals on April 21, while CSK take on arch-rivals Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 23.
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Published on:
19 Apr 2026 09:49 IST
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