Heinrich Klaasen gave SRH a reason to smile at the end of a dismal season. (Sportzpics)Heinrich Klaasen on Sunday scored the joint third-fastest century in the history of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). Klaasen got to the three-figure mark in just 37 balls, which is also the number of deliveries Yusuf Pathan took to get there in March 2010 for Rajasthan Royals against the Mumbai Indians. Klaasen hit as many as nine sixes and six fours on his way to the century and his innings led an astonishing assault by SRH on Kolkata Knight Riders in the final game of what has otherwise largely been a forgettable season for them.
Klaasen added another four to his tally in the last over and finished with 105 off 39 balls. SRH’s score read 278/3 at the end of the 20 overs, which is the third highest for any team in the history of the IPL. Incidentally, SRH also hold the record for the highest, second highest and now the fourth highest scores as well. All three of the previous scores came last season in which SRH finished runners up. This year, though, they are likely to finish in the bottom three.
Klaasen blasted his way to a half-century in just 17 balls, powering SRH’s middle-over charge after Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head put up an opening stand of 92 runs in just 6.5 overs. It was the second fastest fifty for SRH in the IPL, with Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head having both hit 16-ball half centuries three times last season. Klaasen first put up an 83-run stand with Head for the second which which came in 35 balls. The carnage continued after Head fell to Sunil Narine on 76 off 40 and SRH ended up crossing the 200-run mark in just the 15th over. All of it meant that SRH took a whopping 140 runs in the middle overs.
Ishan Kishan took his time to get going but eventually joined the party. The partnership between him and Klaasen crossed 50 in 21 balls with Klaasen hitting 24 of those runs. Klaasen got into the 90s with a six off the fourth ball of the 18th over bowled by Andre Russell. That shot also took SRH past the 250-run mark with 14 balls to spare.
Chris Gayle continues hold the record for the fastest-ever IPL century for the 30-ball ton he scored for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Pune Warriors in April 2013. At second place is the 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who announced his arrival earlier this season with a 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans.
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