At the 15th-over mark, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had just 90 runs on the board. And more than 56% of those runs were scored by just one man, Heinrich Klaasen, who was batting at 51*. In a game that could have seen them sink to one of the lowest totals in IPL history, SRH found their saving grace in Heinrich Klaasen. On a night when their top order collapsed like a house of cards, Klaasen’s composed 71 off 44 balls rescued SRH from a catastrophic collapse against the Mumbai Indians.
Lone warrior Klaasen ..again vs MI!
In the reverse fixture at the Wankhede Stadium, Klaasen was the one who got SRH towards a competitive total. The Orange Army lost 3 quick wickets in just 23 runs after the powerplay. Then, his blitz of 37 off 28 came as a fresh hope. On Wednesday, he delivered an even better performance.
SRH were reduced to 35/5 inside nine overs, with the likes of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Nitish Kumar Reddy back in the hut cheaply. At the 15-over mark, SRH were languishing at 90, with Klaasen scoring 51 of those runs — over 56% of the team’s total at that stage. His eventual contribution of 71 made up more than half of SRH’s final total of 143, a number that looked improbable at one point.
Trent Boult (4/26) spearheaded MI’s bowling assault, exploiting the Hyderabad surface with sharp swing and disciplined lengths. But Klaasen, alongside Abhinav Manohar (43 off 31), stitched a vital 99-run partnership for the sixth wicket, dragging SRH out of trouble after being 35/5.
SRH score and Klaasen’s contribution vs MI
| Period | SRH Score | Klaasen’s score |
|---|---|---|
| After 5 overs | 15/4 | 1 off 5 (6.6%) |
| After 10 overs | 52/5 | 26 off 22 (50.0%) |
| After 15 overs | 90/5 | 51 off 35 (56.6%) |
| After 19 overs | 134/6 | 71 off 44 (52.90%) |
Most IPL runs vs MI since 2023
| Player | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 50 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heinrich Klaasen | 5 | 226 | 80* | 56.50 | 179.36 | 2 | 20 | 13 |
| Shivam Dube | 5 | 179 | 66* | 59.66 | 147.93 | 2 | 14 | 11 |
| Marcus Stoinis | 2 | 129 | 89* | 129.00 | 174.32 | 1 | 9 | 9 |
| David Miller | 4 | 126 | 46 | 31.50 | 172.60 | 0 | 10 | 7 |
