While Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain were turning the screws for Rajasthan Royals, their impact was echoing far away from Hyderabad. Nearly a thousand kilometres across in Bhubaneswar, a clutch of 60–70 young cricketers in the Infocity area of Patia were clearly invested in the two IPL newcomers. On Monday, the celebrations would have felt even louder as the Sunrisers Hyderabad duo helped send the visitors packing by 57 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Upal.
Quick facts
- Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by 57 runs on Monday.
- Praful Hinge is 24; Sakib Hussain is 21.
- Both players trained for roughly a month at the Rao Cricket Academy in Bhubaneswar.
- The academy is run by SS Rao, a former Jharkhand player and coach.
- Varun Aaron, SRH’s bowling coach, identified the two for special training.
- Rao says the players stayed in the academy hostel during their stint.
- They were purchased at IPL auction base prices of INR 30 lakh each.
The Hyderabad–Bhubaneswar link behind that surge is a story in itself. Hinge and Hussain spent a lengthy period at the Rao Cricket Academy, a residential setup on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar operated by SS Rao. Both were then earmarked for targeted work by Varun Aaron, the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling coach, with Aaron having a connection to Rao from their shared time in domestic cricket through Jharkhand.
Rao coached Jharkhand for five years, and Varun’s decision came after seeing those players develop under the domestic environment Rao was part of. A Sunrisers Hyderabad official explained that Aaron had sent the pair there to focus on areas he had pinpointed, trusting Rao’s supervision and approach. Even though it was an off-day for the SRH squad following the win over Rajasthan, Varun and the two bowlers were not available for comment.
Month-long preparation
Rao, however, confirmed the outline of their programme. He said the duo were at the academy for around a month during February–March, and they returned roughly a week to ten days before the IPL began. The players lodged in the academy hostel, and Rao added that their bonding with other youngsters became so strong that the entire academy marked their success the day after the match.
Rao’s own background as a fast bowler helps explain why the training environment is so focused on execution, not just ideas. He also described a close professional relationship with Varun Aaron, saying Aaron relied on his coaching skills and handed the boys over to his guidance. In Rao’s telling, the plan was set quickly after the auction, once the two were bought at their respective base prices.
“The decision was taken immediately after the two were purchased at the auction,” Rao said, describing how they trained there for almost a month. He noted that, in between, Hinge and Hussain went to Chennai for a brief stint, but most of their pre-season groundwork was completed in Bhubaneswar. Rao also highlighted that he launched the residential cricket facility in Bhubaneswar in 2023.
Among Sunrisers Hyderabad’s domestic pool, only Hinge and Hussain were selected by Varun for the Bhubaneswar stint, a detail that underlines the confidence placed in them. Rao did not go into the specific technical or tactical areas they worked on, but he stressed the motivation he observed in both players—an eagerness to seize a chance and make an impact in the league.
After the performance in the match, Rao said it was evident that the mindset was already in place. He described a hunger and determination in their approach that he felt was unmatched, explaining that other players may prepare for success when an opening arrives, but these two were actively searching for that opportunity. He also recalled having to stop them from training on some days, pointing to the difference in intensity.
Both are right-arm pacers, with Hinge coming from Vidarbha and Hussain hailing from a very humble background in Bihar. They have both represented their states in first-class cricket, but T20 appears to be the format where they are ready to announce themselves. Bought at the auction at their base prices of INR 30 lakh each, Hinge and Hussain have now backed their selection with a statement—arriving in the IPL with real thunder.
