Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) star Heinrich Klaasen has been in sensational form in the ongoing IPL 2026, but the talks around his strike rate have been overshadowing his efforts with the bat. Heinrich Klaasen is currently holding the Orange Cap, but his batting style raised many eyebrows.
Heinrich Klaasen has so amassed 283 runs in six matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad at a strike rate of over 144 this season. The biggest challenge for him is his slow starts. Earlier, Klaasen used to attack from the first ball, but now he is taking a bit more time before building his innings.
Orange Cap holder Heinrich Klaasen faces questions over low strike rate in IPL 2026
The South African wicketkeeper-batter is scoring consistently for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing IPL 2026, but his strike rate is lower compared to the past few seasons (177 in 2023, 171 in 2024, and nearly 173 in 2025), which has made people criticize his approach.
Read Also: Musheer Khan trolls Shreyas Iyer to his face with an unbelievably accurate imitation
However, there is a reason behind this. After helping SRH to beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 10 runs in Hyderabad, Klaasen shared that he focuses more on building the innings, as someone has to stay at the crease and control things when early wickets fall.
I don’t care about strike rate: Heinrich Klaasen
Heinrich Klaasen said at the post-match presentation, “I’ve been in difficult situations, and you have to take responsibility and be mature about it. You can’t just tee off—that’s not how the game works. We get paid to do the job, and I don’t care about strike rate.”
This was clearly seen in SRH’s previous IPL 2026 match against CSK. The Hyderabad pitch was a bit slow, and the home team lost two wickets for just 18 runs after a strong start. In that situation, Klaasen stayed calm and played a steady knock of 59 runs from 39 balls against CSK.
At the same time, Abhishek Sharma played a blistering knock of 59 off just 22 balls. This combination worked well, as SRH managed to put up a strong total of 194 and later restricted CSK to 184 to register their third win of this season.
Read Also: Ruturaj Gaikwad is ‘mentally unwell’, claims Ravichandran Ashwin
Can’t just tee off: Klaasen defends his approach this season
Defending his approach, Klaasen stressed that early wickets force him to put his natural attacking instincts aside and play according to the situation. He added, “I know there’s been a lot said about my strike rate this season, but I’ve been putting the team in good positions. I’m just doing my job.”
Klaasen signed off by saying, “It’s not that I can just tee off. If you lose another wicket, you’re five down. So, it’s about finding different ways of scoring 10 runs an over and still getting a good score on the board.”
The Proteas will be seen in action on April 21 when Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on Delhi Capitals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad in their next IPL 2026 clash.
