Sunrisers Hyderabad have all but confirmed their retention list for the IPL 2025 season with their overseas talent pool the center of attraction.
Heinrich Klaasen has proven indispensable for Sunrisers Hyderabad, leading the team’s run-scoring over the past two seasons with 927 runs at an impressive average of 44.14 and a striking 173.92 strike rate across 26 innings.
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His contributions include six half-centuries and a memorable century, solidifying his role as SRH’s go-to batter. Given his consistent performance and dual skills as a wicketkeeper, SRH appears set to invest significantly in Klaasen, reportedly offering INR 23 crores to secure his services as their top retention for the coming season.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have also reportedly retained Australian all-rounder and team captain Pat Cummins for INR 18 crores, alongside India’s versatile all-rounder Abhishek Sharma at INR 14 crores. Additionally, SRH is expected to finalize retentions for explosive Australian opener Travis Head at 14 crores and promising all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy at INR 6 crores, solidifying their core lineup for the upcoming season.
The South African wicketkeeper-batter has consistently delivered with the bat, amassing over 400 runs in each of the last two seasons with an impressive strike rate above 170. His adaptability against both spin and pace has bolstered SRH’s middle order, making him an indispensable player in their lineup. Klaasen’s retention highlights the team’s strategic reliance on his batting prowess to anchor and accelerate their innings, underscoring his crucial role in SRH’s future campaigns.
Klaasen all but took South Africa to a title win at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, smashing India’s spinners all around Barbados before his wicket to Hardik Pandya turned the final on its head in a remarkable fashion.
Klaasen’s status as a global superstar comes of the back of two outrageous years of T20 franchise cricket. In 86 matches since 2023, Klaasen amassed 2372 runs at an average of 36.49 and a strike-rate of 168.34. For SRH, in particular, Klaasen has been a rock. In the 2023 IPL season, Klaasen made 448 runs at an average of 49.77 and a strike-rate of 177. The next season, earlier this year, right ahead of the T20 World Cup, Klaasen smashed 479 runs, again going at a strike-rate above 170.
There were little doubts about Klaasen’s status as one of the best T20 batters in the world going into the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA.
On the sluggish wickets in the West Indies and the USA, though, Klaasen’s form saw a slight dip as he made a highest of just 46 heading into the final against India. But, he reversed the trend in the final with a sensational knock, making a 52 off just 27 balls and taking on the Indian spinners with ease in the run-chase to put South Africa on the brink of their first global senior men’s World Cup title.
However, that did not materialise and Klaasen recounted the difficult time he endured post the tournament as he came to terms with the heart-wrenching defeat.
He pulled out of the Caribbean Premier League due to a family emergency and went on the play the Major League Cricket tournament in USA later. Leading the Orcas, Klaasen failed to hit the purple patch of form that made him an icon in the T20 circuit in two years.
Klaasen’s dip in form began with the MLC in USA. For the Seattle Orcas, Klaasen made just 97 runs in six innings, averaging 16.16 and scoring at a strike-rate less than 120, appearing to be a shadow of the player he was a few months ago.
The dip continued into the domestic season with the Titans in South Africa as he struggled to find his timing in the CSA T20 Challenge. For Titans, Klaasen made 124 runs in six matches, 71 of which came in one game.
The timing of this coincides with the IPL 2025 retention deadline as Sunrisers Hyderabad, based off his form in 2023 and 2024, shelled out a massive 23 crores for the South African.
retention guidelines set amounts of INR 18, 14, and 11 crores for the first three slots, teams aren’t strictly bound by these slabs when it comes to the actual payout to players. The rules allow flexibility—teams can offer more or less than the suggested slab at any slot, provided the overall cap is respected.
For instance, if a team retains all five capped players ahead of the auction, they must spend INR 75 crores from their purse. This pool of funds can be distributed however the franchise sees fit, giving SRH the option to prioritize Klaasen with INR 23 crores while spreading the remaining INR 52 crores across their other retained players.
Basically, Sunrisers Hyderabad have banked big on Klaasen at a time his form is at a low and the after-effects of a gut-wrenching T20 World Cup final loss and the burn out from playing multiple leagues seems to be catching up with Klaasen. Will he hit his peak form again? It remains to be seen.
At 33 years, he is not a young prodigy going through a dip in confidence, rather a veteran who has come though several criticial career milestones to hit a peak before what appears to be a decline from which many players of his age struggle to come out of.
Klaasen is set to return to South Africa colours early November as they play a four-match T20I series against India and this series would be a big test for the Proteas star as he attemots to regain his form and confidence.
