Heinrich Klaasen's 39-ball 105* propels SRH to 278

Heinrich Klaasen's batting was the story of the first innings in Delhi. His breathtaking century - the joint-third fastest in IPL history - came in just 37 balls, a knock that left Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) needing 279 for victory.

Klaasen's innings was marked by nine sixes and seven fours. His 17-ball fifty, at a strike-rate of 300 - also his fastest in T20s - had already set the tone. From there, he showcased his ability to punish anything short or overpitched. Full balls were hammered straight down too, and he finished unbeaten on 105 off just 39 balls.

Before Klaasen took over, Travis Head laid the foundation with a commanding 76 off 40 balls. Head was in superb touch, racing to his fifty in 26 balls and driving Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to 79 without loss in the powerplay. His strokes, combined with Abhishek Sharma's 32 from 16 balls, ensured SRH capitalised fully on KKR's inconsistent start, and by the eighth over, SRH had reached 109 for 1.

KKR's bowlers never found a consistent length. Anrich Nortje and Vaibhav Arora were expensive early, while even Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy couldn't stem the flow in the middle overs. Narine's 13th over provided rare control, dismissing Head and conceding only a single - the only over without a boundary since the first over. But it was just a brief pause. Klaasen launched Narine for back-to-back sixes in his final over to bring up SRH's 200 in the 15th over.

Ishan Kishan added a crucial 29-ball 40, rotating strike smartly and finding gaps with minimal fuss. Klaasen kept attacking from the other end, with the pair bringing up a fifty partnership in just 20 balls.

Aniket Verma added a final flourish in the last over with a four and a six in his six-ball 12 not out, ensuring SRH's final-over push was just as decisive. Klaasen's century arrived off the last ball of the 19th over, and SRH ended on a mammoth 278 for 3 - the third-highest total in IPL history. Nortje's struggles summed up KKR's night, conceding 60 runs in his four overs, while Varun Chakravarthy went for 54 in three overs.

ESPNcricinfo's forecaster gave SRH a 91% chance of victory at the halfway mark.