Who is Praful Hinge? The 24-Year-Old SRH Pacer Who Made IPL History
Introduction:
The Indian Premier League is known for turning unknown names into overnight sensations, but rarely does an introduction happen as explosively as Praful Hinge’s. On April 13, 2026, the 24-year-old Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) fast bowler did what no one had achieved in 19 years of IPL history: he took three wickets in the opening over of an innings
The Background: From Vidarbha to the IPL
Born on January 18, 2002, in Nagpur, Praful Hinge is a right-arm fast bowler who represents Vidarbha in domestic cricket. A workhorse in the red-ball format, Hinge built a solid reputation in the Ranji Trophy, picking up 27 wickets in just 10 first-class matches at an impressive average of 26.67.
Despite his red-ball success, his T20 experience was almost non-existent. Before his IPL debut, Hinge had played only one professional T20 match, where he opened the bowling alongside Umesh Yadav and returned tidy figures of 1/23.
Recognizing his raw pace and ability to extract bounce from flat pitches, SRH signed him for his base price of INR 30 lakh at the TATA IPL 2026 auction—a move that proved to be an absolute masterstroke.
The Historic Debut: 6 Balls That Shook RR
Stepping onto the field at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium against a formidable Rajasthan Royals batting lineup, Hinge was given the new ball. What followed was a dream first over that broke the back of the RR chase:
Wicket 1 (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – Golden Duck): Beaten by raw pace and a hard length, Sooryavanshi top-edged a short delivery straight to wicketkeeper Salil Arora.
Wicket 2 (Dhruv Jurel – Duck): Hinge pitched it outside off, and the ball nipped back in sharply, taking an inside edge before crashing into the stumps.
Wicket 3 (Lhuan-dre Pretorius – Duck): Bowling a fuller, out-swinging delivery, Hinge forced Pretorius into an aerial flick that was comfortably caught in the deep.
Hinge later returned to dismiss RR captain Riyan Parag, finishing his spell with brilliant figures of 4/34 and walking away with the Player of the Match award as SRH cruised to a 57-run victory.
The Comeback and Mentorship
Hinge’s journey hasn’t been without roadblocks. He has battled career-threatening back injuries in the past. Since 2022, he has been honing his craft at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai under the watchful eyes of legends like Glenn McGrath and former India pacer Varun Aaron.
Coincidentally, Varun Aaron is the current bowling coach for SRH. The two worked closely together in the months leading up to the tournament to tweak Hinge’s action, ensuring he stays injury-free while maximizing his devastating pace
The Overnight Stardom
The impact of his performance wasn’t just limited to the pitch. Hinge’s social media presence exploded overnight. He went from roughly 3,000 Instagram followers to over 3.74 lakh in less than 24 hours—a staggering 9,900% surge that instantly elevated his profile.
Praful Hinge manifested this moment, famously stating he had previously written down a goal to take 4 or 5 wickets in his debut match. He delivered on that promise, and the cricketing world will undoubtedly be watching his next spell very closely
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