'Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy are MVPs' - R Ashwin lauds SRH duo after heroics vs PBKS

Ravichandran Ashwin praised Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who played instrumental roles in Sunrisers Hyderabad's 33-run win against the Punjab Kings on Wednesday, May 6, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Klaasen smashed 69 off 43 balls, hitting three fours and four sixes. He was the top-scorer for the Orange Army on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Reddy played a crucial cameo of 29* off 13 balls and dismissed the in-form Prabhsimran Singh with the ball.

"Klaasen’s gonna have the tournament to remember. I feel like that. In the powerplay, Travis Head and Abhishek are batting with freedom. Ishan Kishan is not the captain, so not so much baggage. So, he’s also playing with a lot of freedom. But this time, SRH have one more MVP alongside Klaasen, and that’s Nitish Kumar Reddy," Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Ashwin lauded Reddy for working hard behind the scenes and honing his skills, which are helping him play a key role for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026. The former India off-spinner also highlighted the fantastic bat swing that the 22-year-old has.

"In this season, he has worked good enough. We have read articles about how he increased his speed up to 140kmph. If he increases his pace, he won’t be able to bowl 8-10 overs. In T20s, you need only four overs. But credit where it’s due because he worked on skill upgradation. He is taking his time and picking the right deliveries to attack. He has a dangerous bat swing. Now, he is taking a fraction of a second, extra time. He smashed Lockie Ferguson for a six against a slower ball in the 19th over. He waited, stayed still, and it was a very good shot," he added.

"Chase us if you can" - R Ashwin calls SRH 'dark horse' for IPL 2026

While praising skipper Pat Cummins, Ashwin said that Sunrisers Hyderabad have what it takes to stop the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and also lift the IPL trophy.

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"In Cummins’ captaincy, the Orange Army are saying chase us if you can. SRH is a dark horse. If someone can stop RCB, that is SRH. This is a team to really watch out for in this edition of the IPL," he added.