Praful Hinge's Remarkable IPL Debut: Three Wickets in First Over
Praful Hinge's Stunning Performance
In a remarkable IPL debut, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer Praful Hinge left a lasting impression by claiming three wickets in the very first over against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). The relatively unknown bowler quickly became the center of attention after he dismissed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for a duck. Just two deliveries later, he took the crucial wicket of Dhruv Jurel, who also failed to score. Hinge made history by becoming the first bowler to achieve three wickets in the opening over of an IPL match, sending Lhuan-dre Pretorius back to the pavilion for a duck. Remarkably, he conceded only one run during that over while securing three wickets. SRH had acquired him for ₹30 lakh during the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
At 24 years old, Praful made his first-class debut for Vidarbha in the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy season, where he has taken 27 wickets across 10 red-ball matches. In List A cricket, he has claimed five wickets in six matches and has played just one T20 prior to this IPL appearance.
Having trained under Varun Aaron at the MRF Pace Academy, who is currently SRH's bowling coach, Praful comes from modest beginnings. He has also had the opportunity to train in Australia alongside Josh Hazlewood.
Commentators on Star Sports noted that Praful was initially slated to debut in SRH's previous match against Punjab Kings, but the decision was altered at the last moment. His impactful performance in the IPL has set high expectations for the remainder of the season.
Another debutant, Sakib Hussain, also made his mark by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal for just one run. At one point, RR found themselves struggling at 32/5 after just five overs, facing a daunting challenge in their chase.
RR's Chase for 217
In the 21st match of the season, RR is tasked with chasing a formidable target of 217 runs against SRH. Ishan Kishan led the charge for the Orange Army, scoring an impressive 91 runs off just 44 balls. While Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a duck, Travis Head managed to contribute 18 runs off 18 balls. Heinrich Klaasen played a vital role, adding 40 runs off 26 balls, helping SRH set a total of 216/6.