His early spells with Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore offered only glimpses. It was after his move to Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2023 that his influence became sustained and unmistakable.
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The record is compelling. 1905 runs in 59 matches at an average of 42.33, struck at 166.67. Since 2023, three successive seasons of 400 plus runs for SRH, each at a strike rate above 170. The pattern is clear. Once Klaasen is set, field plans begin to lose their shape.
There have been defining innings that underline the point. 104 from 51 balls against RCB in 2023 announced the scale of his authority. An unbeaten 105 from 39 balls against KKR in 2025 reinforced it. Between those peaks sits a sustained body of innings defined less by accumulation than by disruption, including 88 sixes across three seasons for SRH, unmatched within the side during that period.
In 2026, the output has held. 425 runs from 10 matches, an average above 50, and a strike rate still comfortably north of 150. The tempo may vary, but the effect rarely does.
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The comparison is not straightforward. AB de Villiers stretched batting into new dimensions, reshaping what was possible across formats. Faf du Plessis built control, rhythm and longevity at the top of the order. Klaasen operates in a narrower space, but within it the effect is immediate and often decisive.
He doesn’t need time to settle a game. It arrives in bursts that can turn an innings in a matter of overs.
So where does that place him among South African batters in the IPL, and does that level of influence already belong alongside the competition’s most complete middle-order greats?
Photo: REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
