Heinrich Klaasen is set to play a starring role for Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League (IPL) ‘qualifier’ match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Tuesday afternoon.
The Proteas big-hitting wicketkeeper batsman has had another impressive season in the IPL. The 32-year-old has scored 381 runs in 13 matches at an average of 42 and an incredible strike-rate of 183.
Though he did score more runs in last year’s IPL, his strike-rate has improved from 177.
After scoring 42 runs from 26 balls in his side’s victory over Punjab Kings over the weekend, Klaasen said he was pleased with his form heading into the qualifier.
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‘Put a smile on my face’
“I haven't hit it nicely over this period of time. So I went back into the nets to try and figure it out, [and] got something that helped. And I finally hit one or two today that put a smile on my face,” said Klaasen.
The middle order striker said he has been constantly working on the technical aspects of his game.
"I haven't looked at the ball at all. And I was moving way too much. And then I found something. I challenged myself in the nets against the other guys, [like] the spinners. And all of a sudden, everything just clicked again.
"So I just went back to the basics of standing dead still, watching the ball, and just reacting. And finally it came [off], so I'm very pleased."
The group phase of the IPL has drawn to a close, with KKR finishing top of the table, and Sunrisers ending second.
The top two teams are in a privileged position, which means if they lose this first qualifier match they will still go on to one more play-off clash. The winner of the qualifier will advance straight to the final on Sunday.
The third and fourth-placed teams, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, play in what is known as an ‘eliminator’ on Wednesday. The winner goes through to the play-off match against the loser of the qualifier on Friday. Those two teams then will face-off for a place in the final.