IPL 2026: Heinrich Klaasen creates history, joins Chris Gayle–Andre Russell elite club
Heinrich Klaasen continued his explosive run in IPL 2026, reaching a major milestone and joining an elite club alongside Chris Gayle and Andre Russell. The SRH star smashed a quickfire cameo against Delhi Capitals, capping a dominant batting display led by Abhishek Sharma’s stunning century.
Heinrich Klaasen continued his remarkable run in IPL 2026, reaching a major milestone during Sunrisers Hyderabad’s dominant batting display against Delhi Capitals. Klaasen became the third-fastest batter to 100 sixes in IPL history, getting there in just 52 innings. Only Chris Gayle (37 innings) and Andre Russell (47 innings) have reached the mark quicker, placing the South African among the most explosive hitters the league has seen.
The landmark came in a game dominated by Abhishek Sharma, who smashed an unbeaten 135 off 68 balls to power SRH to a massive 242 for 2 after Delhi Capitals opted to bowl first. Klaasen played the perfect finishing role, hammering a quickfire 37* off just 13 balls to cap off the innings in style. Before this game, Klaasen was the top run-scorer of IPL 2026, not just for SRH, highlighting his incredible form this season.
Even after being overtaken by Abhishek’s knock in this match, his numbers remain outstanding — 320 runs at an average of 53. 33 and a strike rate of 153. 11.
SRH’s innings was built on a strong foundation. Abhishek added 97 runs for the opening wicket with Travis Head, who made 37 off 26 balls. Skipper Ishan Kishan then accelerated the scoring with a rapid 25 off 13, stitching a 79-run stand in just 5.