IPL 2026: Klaasen curbs instincts to give new-found stability to blazing Sunrisers

All Guns Blazing — No other three words could possibly illustrate the way Sunrisers Hyderabad has batted ever since Pat Cummins took over as the team’s captain in the Indian Premier League in 2024.

IPL 2026 has seen SRH continue to abide by this all-out attack tenet, but with one significant alteration – the emergence of Heinrich Klaasen in a redefined role as a middle-order anchor. In effect, the South African has provided a sprinkle of calmness to the SRH’s batting gunpowder.

The SRH Way

Forget IPL, no team in the world – with a minimum of 20 games – has matched the devilish pace SRH has set (10.25 runs per over) since the start of 2024.

In Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Klaasen, Cummins and head coach Daniel Vettori found the perfect attacking trio to execute their ploy.

READ | In-form sides clash as efficient Gujarat Titans meets brutal Sunrisers Hyderabad

In 2024, riding on this no-holds-barred batting approach, SRH stormed to the IPL final. But against Kolkata Knight Riders, its batting succumbed to the universal truth of the law of averages and was bowled out for 113.

The volatility of SRH’s zealous batting attitude shone brighter in IPL 2025 as it crashed to sixth in the standings.

Higher Floor

Yet, the fear of failure failed to deter SRH, which continued to push the boundaries in IPL 2026. The side is currently operating at a run rate of 10.78, a faster clip than in the last two seasons.

What has changed, though, is the floor. Unlike in the last two seasons, Sunrisers now seem less prone to spectacular collapses.

So far this season, SRH has been dismissed below 160 just once – in 2024, it was three, and in 2025, it was five. Meanwhile, Sunrisers’ batting average has climbed to 32.38 (2025 – 30.71 and 2024 – 29.06).

At the heart of this newfound stability is the fresh garb Klaasen has donned in the middle. The South African batter has curbed his assaultive instincts, prioritising accumulation over aggression.

By marginally reducing his attacking shots, he has increased his control percentages, allowing him to bat longer and score bigger. From just 11 games, he has already scored a tournament-high 494 runs, the most he has ever scored in a single IPL season.

For a batter who had cracked T20 batting as well as anyone has, this was a simple trade-off – a lower strike rate translating to a higher average.

SRH coach Vettori insists this is not an outcome of a team-dictated strategy.

“If you go through each game, you’ve seen the situations, and he’s [Klaasen] played them accordingly,“ said Vettori on the eve of SRH’s away game against Gujarat Titans.

This is in line with Klaasen’s words from a few days back, which painted a picture of his refurbished mindset.

“I gave up on the idea that I have to do everything and score at a 300 strike-rate every time I go out to bat. I’m playing the situation in front of me and trying to bat as well as possible within the partnership I’m in. The runs don’t mean anything if we don’t win games of cricket,” said Klaasen in an interview with JioHotstar.

The Top-Three

While Klaasen has reworked his style, the rest of the SRH top-order heavyweights have gone on their merry ways. Abhishek, Head and Ishan Kishan are all batting at strike rates north of 170.

This is something SRH has no intentions of tampering with.

“I think the style comes very naturally to the top three. They have been exceptional this year. I think they’ve all been able to dominate and put a lot of pressure on the oppositions. It’s a part of our team that we really encourage. Pat’s very positive about that,” says Vettori.

“We want those three guys to go out there and play their game. And then whatever situation we are in after that, then we’ll try to pick up the pieces,” he adds.

Invariably, it is Klaasen who ends up picking up those pieces.

Published on May 12, 2026