Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling coach Varun Aaron hailed Heinrich Klaasen as the fulcrum of the team’s batting unit on the eve of his side’s clash against Chennai Super Kings.

On Monday (May 18, 2026), Klaasen reinforced that claim with a fine knock on a tricky surface to help his side beat Super Kings by five wickets in a vital IPL 2026 encounter at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

While Ishan Kishan headlined the chase with a measured half-century (70, 47b, 7×4, 3×6), it was Klaasen’s 26-ball 47 (6×4, 2×6) that changed the course of the game.

Sunrisers’ second win over CSK this season ensured it booked a place in the playoffs and, in the process, also dragged Gujarat Titans along into the climactic phase. The result also meant Super Kings were staring at elimination.

Chasing 181, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma failed to get Sunrisers off to their usual flying start and they were in a spot of bother at 56 for two in the eighth over.

Klaasen, though, quickly went about picking apart the Super Kings bowling attack with surgical precision. Having been dropped on 18 by Spencer Johnson off Noor Ahmad, the South African piled on the agony for CSK, immediately hitting the Afghan spinner for a six and four and collected two more boundaries off Shivam Dube.

Klassen’s knock allowed Kishan to grow in confidence at the other end. The left-hander then took on Anshul Kamboj in a 16-run 13th over. Once Klaasen departed, Kishan took charge and got his side to within striking distance before being dismissed.

Earlier, cameos from Dewald Brevis (44, 27b, 2×4, 4×6) and Kartik Sharma (32, 19b, 3×4, 2×6) helped Chennai Super Kings huff and puff its way to 180 for seven.

The Sunrisers pacers led by skipper Pat Cummins were on the money in taking pace off their deliveries and bowling into the surface that was on the slower side.

The Australian was at his metronomic best, returning figures of 4-0-28-3 and was well-supported by Sakib Hussain (two for 34) and Eshan Malinga (one for 26).

From 100 for four, Brevis helped CSK recover to a respectable total. However, in the end, it wasn’t enough as Ruturaj Gaikwad’s men ended their final home game on a sour note.