New Delhi: After scoring the joint third-fastest hundred in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, here on Sunday Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Heinrich Klaasen said sticking to his processes helped him find form, something which had deserted him in the 2025 edition of the league.
Promoted to bat at number three in the seventh over, Klaasen was at his ruthless best to smash nine sixes and seven fours and reach his second IPL century in 37 balls. Klaasen eventually finished unbeaten on 105 off 39 balls, as SRH posted 278/3, the third-highest total in the tournament’s history.
“Very pleased, it’s been a long season of disappointments. Luckily, I stuck to my processes and found my form now. Pride is what gave me focus, We owe it to the fans to dish out good performances. The franchise spent a lot of time and money to play this brand of cricket, and it was up to us to step up to the mantle,” said Klaasen in a mid-innings chat with the broadcasters.
Asked about what he did right on a fresh pitch in New Delhi, Klaasen stated, “I tried to hit every ball for six, and that’s what I did wrong this season. There was a spell from Narine, it was quite difficult, but I tried to improvise. The hard lengths are a bit tougher to play.”
The wicketkeeper-batter also said his coming out to bat at number three is situation-based. “I’m a situation player; that’s the idea in the dugout. If we lose a wicket after the powerplay or just at the end of the powerplay, then I just go in. If we lose a wicket earlier, then it doesn’t quite work out. For me, it’s just a number; it all depends on the team situation.”
(IANS)
