NEW DELHI: Sunrisers Hyderabad speedster Praful Hinge turned his debut into a statement after dismantling Rajasthan Royals, then followed it up by recreating a Mohammed Siraj-style celebration clip in the aftermath of the win. Hinge, who stepped into the SRH XI on Monday, delivered an immediate strike with a three-wicket burst in the opening over of the Rajasthan chase. The early damage set the tone for a dominant SRH display, as the Hyderabad franchise secured a 57-run victory in their IPL 2026 game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Hinge’s impact didn’t fade after the first over—he finished with 4/34, breaking through a well-regarded Royals top order and leaving little room for recovery.
The feat was historic as well. Based in Nagpur, Hinge became the first bowler in IPL history to claim a three-wicket haul in the very first over of an innings. The milestone and the manner of it sparked instant celebration inside the SRH camp.
After the match, team-mate Nitish Reddy shared a video featuring Hinge and added a message aimed at social media impersonations. Reddy wrote in Hindi: “Bhai log, jo bhi bhai ka id hai wo sab fake hai. Ek jo niche ID jo tag hoga wo real hoga.” The sentiment reflected the background of the celebration itself, which was tied to an earlier clip shared by Siraj on Instagram. Years back, Siraj had posted a clarification about his original account, noting that multiple fake profiles were also circulating.
SRH had already laid a strong foundation with the bat, posting a huge 216/6 in their 20 overs. The total was driven by a brilliant 91 from Ishan Kishan and a composed 40 from Heinrich Klaasen, giving their bowlers a sizeable platform to defend. Hinge then delivered the “unthinkable” start for Rajasthan—on the first ball of his spell, he removed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi early. Sooryavanshi tried to make something of the short ball with an aggressive pull, but the shot resulted in a top edge that was comfortably taken by wicketkeeper Salil Arora. The breakthrough triggered immediate joy for Hinge and the SRH dugout.
That early wicket was only the beginning of a sensational run for the pacer. Hinge then had Dhruv Jurel chopping onto his stumps, before going on to trap Lhuan-dre Pretorius. Pretorius attempted a shot and flicked the ball straight, only for it to be caught at long leg. With those wickets in quick succession, Hinge became the first bowler ever to take three wickets in the opening over of an IPL innings—an extraordinary debut spell that turned SRH’s big score into a match-winning advantage almost instantly.
With the result secured, Sunrisers Hyderabad now turn their attention to their next assignment against Chennai Super Kings on April 18 at the same venue.
