Who is Praful Hinge? SRH Pacer Who Created A Unique IPL Record on Debut
Praful Hinge made an unforgettable start to his IPL career with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
The 24-year-old right-arm pacer was handed the tough job of opening the bowling on debut against Rajasthan Royals. He was up against a dangerous opening pair of Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Hinge delivered one of the most remarkable powerplay overs in IPL history.
He picked up 3 wickets in the opening over — Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel and Lhuan-dre Pretorius — all dismissed for nought. In doing so, he became the first bowler in IPL’s 19-year history to take 3 wickets in the first over of an innings.
He struck with his very first ball and continued the damage in the same over.
Hinge later dismissed Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag in his second over. He finished his first spell with figures of 3-0-18-4, including 13 dot balls. Overall, he ended with 4/34 in 4 overs.
Hinge’s fellow debutant Sakib Hussain also impressed with 4/24 in 4 overs.
Praful Hinge: Early life and journey
The rise of Praful Hinge has been built on hard work and discipline.
He began sharpening his bowling skills at the age of 13. He would cycle to training sessions and often reached school late because of cricket practice.
His first big break came at 16 when he joined the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) academy under coach Sanjeev.
At 19, he dominated U-19 trials by picking up 36 wickets.
The COVID-19 pandemic slowed his progress, but he used that phase to improve further.
Praful Hinge’s Domestic Career
Praful Hinge made his first-class debut for Vidarbha in October 2024.
He played regularly in the Ranji Trophy and picked up 16 wickets in 11 innings at an average of 26.37.
Overall, he has:
- 10 first-class matches – 27 wickets
- 6 List A matches – 5 wickets
He has also worked on his skills at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai since 2022. In 2024, he attended a 15-day training camp in Brisbane.
Praful Hinge T20 journey Before IPL
Before IPL 2026, Hinge had played only one T20 match in senior cricket.
That came in December 2025 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Andhra. He returned figures of 1/23 in 4 overs, opening the bowling alongside Umesh Yadav.
He also impressed in the Vidarbha Pro T20 League, where he played a key role in Neco Master Blasters’ title-winning campaign.
Praful Hinge IPL journey with SRH
After a Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu last November, former India pacer Varun Aaron called him for an SRH trial.
Sunrisers Hyderabad signed him for INR 30 lakh ahead of IPL 2026 as a backup pace option.
Despite limited T20 experience, he grabbed his opportunity on debut and delivered a historic performance in the Powerplay.
Praful Hinge’s Bowling Style & Inspiration
Praful Hinge is a nippy fast bowler who uses his height effectively to generate bounce.
He started playing cricket at the age of 12. He has often spoken about Australian captain Pat Cummins as his idol. Playing in the same dressing room as Cummins is a major milestone for him.
He has also been inspired by Umesh Yadav, his senior from Vidarbha, with whom he shared the new ball in his T20 debut.
Hinge now finds himself in a strong SRH setup featuring Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat and bowling coach Varun Aaron. This environment can help accelerate his development.
After a dream start in the IPL, all eyes will now be on how Praful Hinge builds on this performance in the coming matches.