Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Heinrich Klaasen has candidly assessed what’s going wrong for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026, pointing to lapses in batting execution and poor fielding as the key reasons behind their inconsistent start.Despite registering just one win in three matches, Klaasen believes it is “still early days” and is confident the 2016 champions will bounce back. “Our batting has been good so far, but we missed out about 40 runs in three games. We need to bat better. The two games that we struggled, we didn’t execute with the bat,” he said.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!SRH’s defeats against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants exposed their shortcomings in crunch phases, something Klaasen openly acknowledged.“Our fielding has been poor and that’s what is affecting us. I will give us 6 out of 10 so far. We played some brilliant cricket in phases but lost out in the crucial moments,” he admitted.While the bowlers — especially the pacers — have largely stuck to their plans, Klaasen stressed the need for collective improvement. “Bowlers are hanging on as per plan, the rest of the batting is doing well. I’ll give it 80 per cent, but our fielding needs to improve. We need to hold onto our catches.”He also underlined the importance of bigger totals. “We need to get to the 220-230 mark to give our bowlers a chance of defending.”Klaasen finding form amid team strugglesOn a personal note, Klaasen has been one of SRH’s bright spots, scoring consecutive fifties. “Unfortunately we lost two games, but it’s been a good start for me. I would like to continue this form,” he said.Batting at No. 4, the South African relishes his role of adapting to different match situations. “It’s a role I’ve played throughout my career. My job is to keep going even if Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma or Travis Head are going. Every game brings a different situation.”With a clash against Punjab Kings next, SRH will look to fix their flaws and convert promising phases into complete performances.
