Kolkata, April 3: Sunrisers Hyderabad's explosive batsman Heinrich Klaasen said that the team has learned from their past mistakes of losing wickets early by swinging the bat aggressively after they secured a dominant 65-run victory against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their second match of IPL 2026 at Eden Gardens.
Klaasen, known for his aggressive batting style, adopted a different approach in the match when he came to bat at number four. The former South African wicketkeeper batsman started the innings cautiously and avoided taking unnecessary risks, while rotating the strike to put pressure on the opposition.
Speaking about his approach, Klaasen said that he has learned from the mistakes of previous years. He also praised Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head for providing a solid start, which takes the pressure off the middle order.
"That's the beauty of batting with Abhishek and Travis; when you walk in, and the run rate is already at 14 or 15, you don't feel the need to start swinging immediately. But we've learned from our mistakes over the last couple of years, and it allows you to settle in first and catch up later instead of forcing it from the very beginning," Klaasen told Jio Hotstar.
Klaasen scored 52 runs off 35 balls. He hit four boundaries and one six during his innings, which helped the team reach a total of 226 runs in 20 overs. He also formed an 82-run partnership with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored 39 runs off 24 balls and hit four boundaries and one six during his innings.
The target proved to be challenging for the three-time champions KKR, as they were bowled out for just 161 runs in 16 overs, with Nitish also contributing with the ball by taking two crucial wickets. He was supported by Jaydev Unadkat and Eshan Malinga, who also took two wickets each.