In match 65 of the Indian Premier League 2023, when Heinrich Klaasen brought up his maiden century for Sunrisers Hyderabad with a maximum, the owner of the franchise, Kavya Maran had a priceless reaction on her face. The sheer joy in her eyes was a testament to the changing fortunes of Sunrisers in their ongoing encounter with Royal Challengers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
The moment happened on the third ball of the 19th over, bowled by Harshal Patel. On this specific delivery, Heinrich Klaasen stepped down the track and played a lofted stroke over the long-on region to reach his first-ever century in the IPL. The 31-year-old batter celebrated his milestone by pumping his fists while holding his bat and helmet in each hand.
Watch the video here:
Klaasen finished up with 104 runs off 51 balls with eight fours and six enormous maximums all over the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. His contribution was immense for Sunrisers Hyderabad as it helped the team get up to 186/5 total in their allotted 20 overs.
In the mid-game interview, the South African pro talked about his emotions after achieving the IPL century and called it a “pretty special feeling.” He thanked the Hyderabad crowd for being fantastic tonight and right throughout the IPL season. Klaasen also mentioned that he tried to keep his batting methods throughout the innings as simple as possible and keep his head as still as possible while executing his strokes.
