NEW DELHI: Praful Hinge announced himself in style on Monday by ripping through the Rajasthan Royals top order and throwing their chase into chaos at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The right-arm pacer produced a sensational burst immediately after the start, striking with three wickets in his first over to unsettle RR from the outset.
Hinge struck early and decisively, dismissing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for a golden duck, sending Dhruv Jurel back without scoring, and knocking Lhuan-dre Pretorius over for another duck in a dream opening spell. In a storyline that felt almost scripted, the Nagpur-born fast bowler became the first player in IPL history to take three wickets in the opening over of an innings.
Sunrisers Hyderabad then made the most of that early momentum. Led by captain Ishan Kishan, who struck 91 off 44 balls, SRH posted a competitive 216 for 6. Rajasthan Royals were unable to sustain the chase and were dismissed for 159 in 19 overs, handing RR their first defeat of the season.
After receiving the Player of the Match award, Hinge admitted he had long harboured a specific desire—getting Sooryavanshi out with the very first ball he bowled in the IPL. Speaking with emotion, he explained how that mindset had been building for a while, and how his dream unfolded right in front of him.
“(Imagined such a debut?) I did think about it. Last year, I had written somewhere that whenever I play my first match, I will definitely take four or five wickets. And I wanted to dominate as much as possible in the powerplay. I believe in it. I don’t know about others, but I do believe. (about his journey) I started playing cricket at the age of 13. I didn’t even know what leather-ball cricket was back then. When I was 13, I told my father that I wanted to join a club. He refused a couple of times, saying I was too young. But somehow, things started from there. After that, I just kept playing. Standing at this stage, it feels really good. I want to dedicate this award to my family. They’ve made a lot of sacrifices for me. I just want to say, their hard work and sacrifices mean everything,” Hinge said following the match.
Hinge finished with match-winning figures of 4/34 from his four overs, combining wicket-taking pace with sharp control to keep RR under pressure throughout the innings.
Sooryavanshi’s dismissal set the tone right away. Hinge beat him for pace on the first ball, and the resulting top-edge sailed straight into the hands of wicketkeeper Salil Arora, who completed the catch with ease. The pacer then had Dhruv Jurel trapped lbw after a ball that swung in from outside off, clipping the inside edge and crashing into the stumps.
Pretorius tried to find room with a flick, but the shot failed to clear Nitish Reddy stationed at deep backward square leg, bringing an end to a historic opening over that left the opposition stunned.
Hinge also outlined the thinking behind his first-ball intensity. “The best one was the first wicket of Sooryavanshi, because he was in form. I had already told a couple of people that I would get him out on the very first ball, either with a bouncer or in some way. I just wanted his wicket on the first ball. That was the plan,” he said.
He further credited support around him, adding: “Also, our bowling coach Varun bhai helped me a lot. And I’m thankful to everyone who supported me. (injuries in the past) Everything is fine now. I want to thank MRF for taking really good care of me. When I was there, Naveen sir, the physio, looked after me very well. Since I’ve reached this stage today, I want to thank them too,” Hinge added.
With the victory, Sunrisers Hyderabad climbed to fourth place in the points table. Their next challenge comes against Chennai Super Kings on April 18.
