Heinrich Klaasen

International career

Heinrich Klaasen plays as a wicketkeeper and a finisher in limited-overs cricket. Klaasen is one of the top players in T20 cricket and has been retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2025 IPL at INR 23 Crores. Below is a summary of his international career:

• February 2017: Klaasen was named in South Africa’s Test squad for a match against New Zealand. He did not play.
• February 2018: He joined the South African ODI squad for the series against India after Quinton de Kock got injured. Klaasen made his ODI debut on 7 February 2018 and won his first man of the match award in the fourth ODI, scoring 43 runs from 27 balls.
• In the same month, he was added to South Africa’s T20I squad for the series against India. Klaasen made his T20I debut on 18 February 2018. On 21 February, he scored 69 runs from 30 balls in the second T20I, which helped South Africa win. He received another man of the match award for his performance.
• February 2018: Klaasen was included in South Africa’s Test squad for the series against Australia but did not play.
• August 2019: Klaasen was named in South Africa's Test squad against India, replacing an injured Rudi Second. He made his Test debut on 19 October 2019 against India.
• 29 February 2020: Klaasen scored his first ODI century. He made an unbeaten 123 runs against Australia.
• January 2021: Klaasen became South Africa’s T20I captain for their series against Pakistan.
• April 2021: After Temba Bavuma got injured, Klaasen captained South Africa’s T20I squad for the home series against Pakistan.
• September 2021: Klaasen was named to South Africa’s squad for the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
• 8 January 2024: Klaasen announced his retirement from Test cricket after playing only 4 matches since his debut in 2019.
• May 2024: He was named to South Africa’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
• June 2024: Klaasen scored the fastest fifty in a men’s T20 World Cup final.

Leagues Participation

Heinrich Klaasen has played in many major cricket leagues across the world. Below is a look at his participation in each league.

Indian Premier League (IPL)

Heinrich Klaasen started his IPL career in 2018 with Rajasthan Royals. After one season, he was released and joined Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2019. After a few years away, he returned to IPL in 2023 with Sunrisers Hyderabad. He did well in 2023, which led to his retention for 2024. For the 2025 season, Sunrisers Hyderabad kept him, this time paying a record amount.

Year	Team	Auction Price	Position	Matches Played	Runs	Strike Rate	Best Score
2018	Rajasthan Royals	Unknown	Wicketkeeper	0	-	-	-
2019	Royal Challengers Bangalore	INR 50 Lakh	Wicketkeeper	0	-	-	-
2023	Sunrisers Hyderabad	INR 5.25 Crore	Wicketkeeper	15	348	172.38	69
2024	Sunrisers Hyderabad	Retained	Wicketkeeper	16	420	182.00	80
2025	Sunrisers Hyderabad	INR 23 Crore	Wicketkeeper	-	-	-	-

In 2025, Klaasen was retained for INR 23 Crores, making him the most expensive player for the season. He has played 35 IPL matches, scoring 993 runs with a strike rate of 168.31. His highest score is 104, and he has hit one century and six half-centuries. Klaasen has also taken 14 catches and made 7 stumpings behind the stumps.

Caribbean Premier League (CPL)

In 2022, Klaasen played for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL. He scored 117 runs in five innings, with a strike rate of 137. One of his best performances was against St Lucia Kings, where he scored 61 runs from 46 balls. However, in August 2024, Klaasen decided to skip the 2024 CPL season for personal reasons.

Year	Team	Runs	Strike Rate	Best Score
2022	Guyana Amazon Warriors	117	137	61
2024	-	-	-	-

Mzansi Super League (MSL)

Klaasen joined Mzansi Super League in 2018, playing for Durban Heat. In 2019, he became the captain of Tshwane Spartans. In the 2019 final, he scored 21 runs off 19 balls. However, Tshwane Spartans lost to Paarl Rocks. In 2024, Klaasen played 16 matches and scored 225 runs.

Year	Team	Runs	Matches Played	Best Score
2018	Durban Heat	-	-	-
2019	Tshwane Spartans	21	-	-
2024	Tshwane Spartans	225	16	-

Major League Cricket (MLC)

In July 2023, Klaasen played his first match in Major League Cricket with Seattle Orcas. He became the first player in MLC to score a century, making 110 runs from 44 balls against MI New York. Klaasen also scored 53 runs from 31 balls against San Francisco Unicorns, winning Player of the Match. In 2024, he scored 51 runs against Washington Freedom. In the previous season, he scored 235 runs in six innings, with an average of 58.75.

Year	Team	Runs	Best Score
2023	Seattle Orcas	110	110
2024	Seattle Orcas	51	-

SA20

In the 2023 SA20 season, Klaasen scored an unbeaten 104 runs from 44 balls for Durban’s Super Giants. In 2024, he was named Player of the Season, with 447 runs at a strike rate of 207.90. On 20 January 2024, he hit a 105-meter six against Sunrisers Eastern Cape. He also set a record for the fastest 50 in SA20, reaching it in just 16 balls.

Year	Team	Runs	Best Score
2023	Durban Super Giants	104	104
2024	Durban Super Giants	447	-

Heinrich Klaasen has been a consistent performer in the leagues he has played in.

Domestic career

Heinrich Klaasen began his domestic cricket career in 2011 with T20s. His First-Class debut came on 18 October 2012, when he played for the Northerns team. He has played 80 First-Class matches, scoring 4,893 runs, including 11 centuries and 23 half-centuries.

He debuted in List A cricket on 21 October 2012 against Griqualand West. He has played 94 List A matches and scored 2,863 runs with 4 centuries and 17 half-centuries.

Klaasen also started T20 cricket on 13 November 2011, playing against North West. He has appeared in 116 T20 matches, scoring 2,133 runs and 12 half-centuries.

Records and achievements

Heinrich Klaasen has had an impressive career with numerous awards and records to his name. Here are the highlights:

Awards:

• ODI Player of the Match (2018): Klaasen earned this award in the fourth ODI against India by scoring 43 runs from 27 balls.
• T20I Player of the Match (2018): He won this title on 21 February 2018, with 69 runs from 30 balls in the second T20I against India.
• First ODI Century (2020): Klaasen scored 123 runs against Australia on 29 February 2020.
• Second Highest Individual Score in ODIs (2023): Klaasen scored 174 runs from 83 balls, the second-highest score for a player batting at position 5 or lower.
• ICC T20 World Cup Silver Medalist (2024).

Records:

• ODI Century against West Indies (2023): Klaasen scored 100 runs from 54 balls in March 2023.
• IPL Knock against Bangalore (2023): In May 2023, he scored 104 runs from 51 balls.
• MLC Knock for Seattle Orcas (2023): Klaasen made 110 runs from 44 balls in July 2023 against MI New York.
• World Cup Knock against England (2023): On 21 October 2023, he scored 109 runs from 67 balls, with four sixes and 12 boundaries.
• First ODI Century (2020): Klaasen scored 123 runs against Australia on 29 February 2020.
• Top Scorer for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2023: He scored 448 runs and hit 25 sixes, the most in that season.

Personal life

Heinrich Klaasen grew up in Pretoria, where he developed a passion for cricket while attending High School Menlopark. He later studied at the University of Pretoria. His commitment to the sport helped him rise in domestic cricket, leading to his international career.

Family Life

Heinrich Klaasen married Sonne Martins on September 5, 2020, after being in a relationship for nearly five years. The couple has a daughter named Laya, born on December 2, 2022. Laya became known when she cheered for her father at an IPL match against Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad.

Financial Status

Heinrich Klaasen’s net worth is estimated at $6 million USD, which is around ₹50 Crore. He was recently auctioned for ₹5.25 Crore.

Cars and House

Details about Klaasen's cars and house are not available publicly.

Scandals

In June 2024, Klaasen criticized the pitch at Nassau County Cricket Ground in New York, saying the field quality was poor. He mentioned that top batsmen from all teams did not want to play on it.

In August 2024, Klaasen withdrew from the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) because of family reasons.

Fan Interactions

In 2024, Klaasen and his teammate Jaydev Unadkat were mobbed by SRH fans in a shopping mall, which upset Klaasen. He asked fans to keep a distance for safety.

Fans also praised Klaasen for his performance in the 2023 World Cup against England, where he scored 109 runs off 67 balls, including four sixes and 12 boundaries.

Klaasen has more than 350k followers on Instagram.