The 24-year-old fast bowler came out of nowhere for Sunrisers Hyderabad and delivered a spell that left everyone stunned.
Playing against Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Praful Hinge made instant headlines.
In his very first over in IPL, he did something no one had done before. He took three wickets in the opening over of an innings.
His over read 1-W-0-W-0-W, and suddenly fans across India were searching his name.
He removed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, all for ducks. Rajasthan were left in shock within minutes.
He later added the wicket of captain Riyan Parag to finish with 4 for 34. Not bad for someone playing his first IPL match.
SRH had picked him for just ₹30 lakh in the 2026 mini-auction. After this performance, that looks like a bargain.
So, Where Did He Come From?
Praful Hinge is from Nagpur and plays domestic cricket for Vidarbha.
He is known as a “hit-the-deck” bowler. That means he bowls hard lengths and gets extra bounce, making it tough for batters.
He started his domestic career in the 2024-25 season and quickly made an impact. Earlier this year, he helped Vidarbha win their first Vijay Hazare Trophy title.
But his journey was not smooth.
Just two years ago, he suffered a serious back injury that almost ended his career before it even began.
During recovery, he trained under Australian great Glenn McGrath and former India pacer Varun Aaron. He also worked at the MRF Pace Foundation to rebuild his game.
Hinge has said that his idol is his SRH captain Pat Cummins. On debut, he bowled like someone who had learned from the best.
From being unknown to becoming the most searched name overnight, Praful Hinge has arrived in style.
Statistics (as of 14 April 2026)
| Format | Mat | Wickets | Avg | Best Fig |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL | 1 | 4 | 8.50 | 4/34 |
| First Class | 10 | 27 | 26.67 | 4/60 |
| List A | 6 | 5 | 60.60 | 2/54 |
| Domestic T20 | 1 | 1 | 23.00 | 1/23 |