![\"\u2018I](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130367010,imgsize-60340,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/heinrich-klaasen.jpg\" "\\"SRH")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: Sunrisers Hyderabad star Heinrich Klaasen<\/a> delivered both with the bat and at the press conference, making it clear he is unfazed by criticism around his scoring tempo in IPL 2026. Klaasen\u2019s composed 59 off 39 balls proved decisive as SRH posted 194\/9 and edged past Chennai Super Kings<\/a> by 10 runs in a tightly contested encounter.Despite leading the run charts this season, Klaasen\u2019s strike rate has dipped compared to last year, drawing scrutiny. But the South African batter dismissed the noise, stressing that match awareness matters more than numbers. \u201cI\u2019ve been in difficult situations, and you have to take responsibility and be mature about it. You can\u2019t just tee off\u2014that\u2019s not how the game works. We get paid to do the job, and I don\u2019t care about strike rate,\u201d Klaasen said, underlining his approach of adapting to conditions and building meaningful innings.\u2018You can\u2019t just tee off\u2019: Klaasen explains his approach<\/span>Klaasen elaborated that his role often demands stability rather than outright aggression, especially when early wickets fall. \u201cI know there\u2019s been a lot said about my strike rate this season, but I\u2019ve been putting the team in good positions. I\u2019m just doing my job,\u201d he said. Highlighting the challenges, he added that situations like losing multiple wickets quickly force him to rein in his natural attacking instincts. \u201cIt\u2019s not that I can just tee off. If you lose another wicket, you\u2019re five down. So, it\u2019s about finding different ways of scoring 10 runs an over and still getting a good score on the board.\u201dHis innings came on a slow surface, where SRH were just 30 at the end of the powerplay, further explaining the measured approach. Klaasen\u2019s knock, alongside a blistering 59 off 22 from Abhishek Sharma<\/a>, laid the foundation for a competitive total, even as bowlers like Jamie Overton and Anshul Kamboj kept CSK in the contest.In reply, CSK threatened through contributions from Ayush Mhatre, Matthew Short and Sarfaraz Khan, but SRH\u2019s bowlers, led by Eshan Malinga and Nitish Kumar Reddy, held their nerve at the death.The win lifted SRH to fourth on the table, reinforcing Klaasen\u2019s point\u2014impact matters more than optics.<\/div>\n