NEW DELHI: The moment Ishan Kishan handed the new ball to debutant Praful Hinge, it looked like just another start to an innings. But within minutes, the 24-year-old right-arm quick turned that first over into a statement. Hinge struck early and hard, blowing apart Rajasthan Royals’ top order and shifting the momentum so decisively that the contest changed shape almost immediately.
Hinge removed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel and Lhuan-dre Pretorius in quick succession, with all three batters dismissed for ducks. The feat stood out not just for its impact, but for its rarity: it was the first time in IPL history that a bowler had claimed three wickets in the opening over of an innings. While there have been 32 occasions where a bowler managed two wickets in the first over, never before had anyone reached the three-wicket mark at that stage.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have previously seen the two-wicket version of this dominance in the powerplay as well. The only earlier example for the franchise came through Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took a pair of wickets against the same opposition at the same venue in 2024. Hinge’s burst, though, went a step further and placed him among the most effective powerplay wicket-takers in the league.
His spell also secured him a spot in an elite group of bowlers who have taken four or more wickets during the powerplay. With figures of 4/18, Hinge now joins a list that includes Ishant Sharma’s 5/12 in 2011, along with spells by Shoaib Akhtar, Ajit Chandila, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pat Cummins, Deepak Chahar and Mohammed Shami—names that have defined fear in the early overs for years.
Who is Praful Hinge?
Praful Hinge, a young seamer from Vidarbha, was brought into the Sunrisers Hyderabad setup at the IPL 2026 auction, with the franchise investing Rs 30 lakh in him. Before this breakthrough, he had been building his case quietly through domestic cricket, especially in the longer format where rhythm and discipline matter as much as pace.
He made his first-class debut in October 2024 and soon became a regular feature in the Ranji Trophy. In that season, he collected 16 wickets in 11 innings, showing the ability to sustain pressure over spells rather than rely on one moment. Across 10 first-class matches, he has taken 27 wickets at an average of 26.7, a return that reflects both consistency and control.
In T20 cricket, however, Hinge’s exposure had been limited. Before his IPL debut, he had played just a single match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In that game, he finished with 1/23 against Andhra, sharing the new ball with Umesh Yadav—an experience that, at the time, offered only a glimpse of what he could do under higher stakes.
Even with that relatively small sample in the shortest format, SRH clearly believed the raw talent was ready to be tested. They included him in a bowling unit that also featured seasoned campaigners such as Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat. On debut, Hinge not only matched the faith shown in him, but effectively announced himself as a rising talent—one capable of turning an innings on its head from the very first over.
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