New Delhi: Heinrich Klaasen, the impactful player from South Africa, has joined the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) team in preparation for IPL 2025. The franchise shared a video on social media featuring the right-handed batsman striking a pose with his bat, reminiscent of Telugu actor Prabhas’s iconic stance in the popular film ‘Baahubali’.
Klaasen was retained by the SunRisers for a significant ₹23 crore ahead of IPL 2025, surpassing the ₹21 crore retention of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Virat Kohli. The South African cricketer secured a contract worth ₹5.25 crore in the auction prior to the 2024 season, where he played a crucial role in a successful campaign. The right-handed batsman concluded the season with 479 runs in 16 matches, averaging 39.91 and boasting an impressive strike rate of 171.07. Additionally, he recorded the second-highest number of sixes in IPL 2024, hitting 38.
Heinrich Klaasen, the impactful South African cricketer, has joined the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) team in preparation for IPL 2025. The franchise shared a video on social media showing the right-handed batsman striking a pose with his bat, reminiscent of Telugu actor Prabhas in the popular film ‘Baahubali’.
Klaasen was retained by the SunRisers for a significant ₹23 crore prior to IPL 2025, which is more than the ₹21 crore contract of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player Virat Kohli. In the auction for the 2024 season, the South African cricketer secured a contract worth ₹5.25 crore and proved his worth by playing a key role in a successful campaign. The right-handed batsman concluded the season with 479 runs in 16 matches, averaging 39.91 and maintaining an impressive strike rate of 171.07. He also recorded the second-highest number of sixes in IPL 2024, hitting 38.
SRH successfully made it to the finals last year for the first time since 2018. However, they were outmatched by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the championship match, losing by eight wickets while attempting to defend a score of 114 in Chennai.
The owners chose to keep the core players Klaasen, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and captain Pat Cummins for IPL 2025, largely because the team scored over 250 runs on three occasions during the tournament. Ishan Kishan became the franchise’s highest-priced player in the auction, securing a bid of ₹11.25 crore.
The SunRisers are set to begin their season by facing the Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on March 23.
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