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Praful Hinge announced himself on the biggest stage with a dream IPL debut that completely ripped apart Rajasthan Royals in their clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Hyderabad.
The young right arm medium fast bowler produced a sensational opening spell, taking four wickets and leaving one of the strongest batting line ups in the tournament in complete chaos.
Who is Praful Hinge
Praful Hinge is a right arm medium fast bowler from Nagpur who has quickly risen through the ranks in domestic cricket as a promising pace option. He was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad for 30 lakh rupees at the IPL 2026 mini auction after consistent performances in the domestic circuit.
He has already built a solid reputation in red ball cricket. In just 10 first class matches, he has taken 27 wickets, including a four-wicket haul that highlighted his ability to strike in crucial moments. His form continued in the latest Ranji Trophy season where he picked up 16 wickets in six matches, emerging as one of Vidarbha’s leading wicket takers.
He also played an important role in Vidarbha’s maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title run, taking five wickets in five matches during the 2025–26 season while maintaining an impressive economy rate of 6.06.
Dream start in IPL
Coming into the game with limited IPL exposure, Hinge showed no signs of nerves as he delivered a spell that instantly changed the tone of the match.
He finished with figures of 4 for 18 in just three overs in the powerplay, a performance that immediately placed him among the standout debutants of IPL 2026.
Three wickets in a historic first over burst
The real damage came in a breathtaking opening over where Praful Hinge created history by striking three times in a single over, completely dismantling the Rajasthan Royals top order.
First, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fell for a golden duck, caught after a mistimed shot off a sharp short delivery. Moments later, Dhruv Jurel was trapped with a delivery that crashed into the stumps after an inside edge. Rajasthan were suddenly under massive pressure at 1 for 2.
He completed the dream over by removing debutant Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who found a fielder at deep square leg after miscuing a full delivery on the pads. The stadium erupted as Hyderabad took complete control.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag also fall early
The collapse continued as Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed cheaply, edging one through to the keeper after struggling for timing in the early movement.
Riyan Parag also failed to settle, falling after a misjudged shot under pressure, leaving Rajasthan Royals reeling at 9 for 5.
