An extraordinary century from Heinrich Klaasen lit up the Arun Jaitley Stadium, as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) thrashed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by a massive 110 runs in match 68 of IPL 2025. The win is unlikely to help SRH’s position in points table but it will serve as a reminder of their destructive batting power.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, SRH came out all guns blazing. The opening pair of Abhishek Sharma (32 off 16) and Travis Head (76 off 40) provided a good foundation, scoring 92 runs in less than 7 overs. But it was Heinrich Klaasen who stole the show with an extraordinary unbeaten 105 runs off just 39 balls, blasting 7 fours and 9 sixes at an incredible strike-rate of 269.23.
Klaasen’s blitzkrieg, along with support from Ishan Kishan (29 off 20) and a cameo from Aniket Verma (12* off 6) propelled SRH to a remarkable 278/3 – the second highest total in IPL history. KKR’s bowlers were left staggering, as every bowler went over 9 runs an over. Sunil Narine was the only plus with 2 for 42.
In reply, KKR never looked in control. While Narine (31 off 16) and Ajinkya Rahane (15 off 8) provided some quick runs early on, KKR was dented by loss of regular wickets. Jaydev Unadkat and young Eshan Malinga picked up 3 wickets each, while debutant Harsh Dubey also added 3 to his tally, all but ripping apart KKR.
Despite a final push from Harshit Rana (34 off 21) and Manish Pandey (37 off 23), KKR were bowled out for 168 in 18.4 overs. The SRH bowling unit were intelligent in their variations, keeping the pressure on and making sure there were no chances to fightback.
Klaasen was deservedly named both Player of the Match for his knock, which was a masterclass in clean, calculated hitting.
With this emphatic win, SRH now look poised for a strong finish to their league campaign, while KKR’s playoff hopes hang by a thread after another disappointing outing.
Match Scorecard: SRH vs KKR IPL 2025
SRH: 278/3
Heinrich Klaasen 105* (390
Travis Head 76 (40)
Abhishek Sharma 32 (16)
Narine 2/42 (4 overs)
Vaibhav Arora 1/39 (4 overs)
Harshit Rana 0/40 (3 overs)
KKR: 168/10
Manish Pandey 37 (23)
Harshit Rana 34 (21)
Sunil Narine 31 (16)Jaydev Unadkat 3/24 (4 overs)
Eshan Malinga 3/31 (3.4 overs)
Harsh Dubey 3/34 (4 overs)
