Sunrisers Heinrich Klaasen’s amazing unbeaten 105 off 39 balls against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) marked a clinical finale to Hyderabad’s IPL 2025 campaign. The South African wicketkeeper-batsman smashed the opposition bowlers, leading SRH to a massive total of 278/3, the third-highest in IPL history, and eventually securing a 110-run victory in Delhi on Sunday.
Klaasen’s century, the joint-third fastest in IPL history, featured seven boundaries and nine sixes. His fifty came off only 17 balls, while his subsequent 50 runs came from 20 balls. Following his innings, the right-handed batter praised his family and the franchise for believing in him despite a disappointing season.
“I’d like to thank my family and the franchise. They put a lot of time, effort, and money into this type of cricket, and we owe it to them to stand up to the plate and provide strong performances. The franchise invests a lot of money in this. They’ve been around for 13–14 years. And for us, we had a poor start to the middle of the competition, and it simply did not look good on the pitch. For us to turn things around, we’ve played outstanding cricket over the previous three and a half matches. And to simply give back to them as well.” Klaasen.
I am a big situational player: Heinrich Klaasen
After Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma’s excellent opening partnership, the 33-year-old adapted perfectly to the circumstances. While batting in numerous middle-order places this season, he proved that he is a situational player who is willing to bat in any position his team requests.
“Look, I am a major situational player. That is also the idea in the dugout. Sometimes you lose that wicket immediately off the powerplay or at the end of the powerplay, allowing me to come in. So it’s usually around the fifth or sixth over, or shortly after the powerplay. That is when I would like to go in. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. “I still have to do my job,” Klaasen remarked.
Head and Abhishek’s 92-run stand provided Klaasen with an excellent opportunity to begin smashing the ball. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, KKR’s regular bowlers, were helpless as they were unable to stem the flow of runs. In response, KKR failed to put up a fight at bat.
Despite Narine’s strong start, the team never seemed like it could win the game. Jaydev Unadkat went 3 for 24, while Harsh Dubey (3 for 34) and Eshan Malinga (3 for 31) demolished the middle and lower orders. KKR were knocked out for 168 in 18.4 overs, finishing ninth.
“I worked a lot on it. It’s gotten me out a few times already. So I had to spend a lot of time on the nets getting it correct. Just making sure I’m choosing the correct length. Sometimes I push myself too hard. But it’s all part of the growth and learning process. “What you can and cannot do,” he concluded.
