New Delhi, April 30 (IANS) Former South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn heaped praise on Sunrisers Hyderabad’s middle-order batter Heinrich Klaasen for his scintillating knock against Mumbai Indians and pointed out that the batter is “still right up there as an Orange Cap contender” despite coming out to bat in the middle order.

After openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head added 129 runs for the frist wicket, Klaasen thrashed an unbeaten 65 off 30, while Salil Arora smoked 30 not out off ten balls to hand SRH the fourth-highest successful chase in the IPL and their fifth straight win of the season.

Steyn pointed out that Klaasen’s numbers are even more impressive considering he does not open the batting and often comes in after the top order has already faced a significant portion of the innings.

“The numbers are just insane because he’s competing with the guys at the top of the order, the opening batters. If you look at the opening batters from Sunrisers Hyderabad in particular, they get off to incredible starts and do the bulk of the run-scoring. He comes out later and yet; he’s still right up there as an Orange Cap contender. It’s an exceptional effort by him,” Steyn told JioStar.

“Every time he comes out, he looks in total control. He looks steady, hits the ball down the ground nicely, and gets himself in. When he wants to pull the trigger, he’s able to hit the ball anywhere. That six where he went reverse off the spinner, how? He just pulls it out in the middle of a game. Incredible hand-eye coordination, skill, and then obviously, the mental side to back his ability to do it under pressure,” he added.

Klaasen’s ability to accelerate at will and maintain composure under pressure has been central to Hyderabad’s strong performances this season, particularly in high-stakes run chases, where his finishing has stood out.

SRH’s chase briefly wavered after a cluster of wickets, but Klaasen’s unbeaten knock ensured no further setbacks, as the visitors secured a memorable win.

Earlier, MI posted a formidable 243/5, powered by Ryan Rickelton’s blazing century, but it proved insufficient against SRH’s relentless batting on a high-scoring night at the Wankhede.

–IANS

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