New Delhi: South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen flaunted his explosive hitting power for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), smashing his second ton in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to help the team register an emphatic 110-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Delhi on Sunday. Klaasen, who was quite average throughout the season, was named the Player of the Match and had a blunt take on his fiery innings for the Orange Army.
SRH skipper Pat Cummins had opted to bat first in the national capital, which was acting as their second home for the season, and the 33-year-old Klaasen finally got his moment and led the team on his back to cap off the 2025 season on a high. Batting at a soaring strike rate of 269.23, Klaasen hit an unbeaten 105 runs facing 39 deliveries, with seven fours and nine towering sixes. He was followed by opener Travis Head, who shone with a 40-ball 76.
Ice in his veins, fire in his bat 🔥
Heinrich Klaasen ends the #TATAIPL 2025 season with a record hundred & a Player of the Match award 🧡
Relive his knock ▶ https://t.co/DEIREvm1tl #TATAIPL | #SRHvKKR pic.twitter.com/vvvzPOIhyw
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 25, 2025
Reflecting on his stunning knock after the match, Klaasen admitted that the franchise has paid him a hefty amount, so he owed it to them. “They spend a lot of time and effort and a lot of money into this brand of cricket, and we owe it to them. They have been here for 12-13 years. We played brilliant cricket for the last three games, they gave us an incredible holiday, and thanks to them. It’s pride for us as well, got a lot of starts did not kick on, today I did,” the Proteas player said at the post-match presentation.
“Sometimes I challenge myself too much, but that’s all part of growing up on what you can do and what you can’t,” he added. Klaasen said about his batting position, “Normally around the 5th, 6th over and just after the powerplay in the 7th over is when I like to go out, sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. They don’t pay me for not doing well.” It was also a joint third-fastest century in IPL history by Klaasen.
Fast. Faster. Klaasen ⚡
Storming into a Hein-𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝 list of superstars 😎#TATAIPL | #SRHvKKR | @SunRisers pic.twitter.com/6Tkm9FBfDl
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 25, 2025
KKR wobble
The two teams were up in their final league game of the season, and SRH placed 278/3 as their bid, in 20 overs, which has now become the third-highest team total in the IPL. The team has now acquired the top four spots in the elite list. In response, the defending champions looked never on course to chase the huge target down, as they went with a steady pace.
Manish Pandey top-scored with 37 while tailender Harshit Rana followed with 34. Sunil Narine hit 31 as the opener, but these little contributions were just not enough. They were restricted to 168 in 18.4 overs as Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, and Harsh Dubey picked up three wickets each to give SRH their sixth win of the season while handing a seventh loss to KKR.
Setting the bar higher and higher 📈
It’s @SunRisers dominance on the list of highest team totals 🧡#TATAIPL | #SRHvKKR pic.twitter.com/tAL13xS7QI
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 25, 2025
Heinrich Klaasen smashed a quickfire 105-run knock to help SRH cap off the IPL 2025 season on a bright note, as they beat KKR by a huge margin of 110 runs in Delhi on Sunday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
