Praful Hinge made a sensational debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League 2026 clash against the Rajasthan Royals on Monday, April 13. Hinge was the cornerstone in SRH beating RR by 57 runs in their defence of 216 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. He picked 4/34, including three wickets in the first over and was named the Player of the Match.
Hinge, who dismissed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for a golden duck, spoke on his journey and an intriguing duel with Hardik Pandya. Speaking to 'JioStar' after SRH's win, the Vidarbha fast bowler also revealed a special message from Hardik during the Vijay Hazare Trophy. "When I was bowling to him, I was quite nervous because everyone knows what kind of batsman Hardik bhai is and what he can do. But after the first ball, the nerves settled, and I told myself I could bowl without taking undue pressure. I kept reminding myself to bowl my best delivery every ball," Hinge said on JioStar.
"Yorkers are my go-to deliveries; I’ve practised them the most. I bowled good yorkers to him and mixed in a few bouncers as well. After taking a single, he came up to me and said, ‘Praful bhai, well bowled.’ That gave me a huge boost. After the match, I met him again, and he said, ‘You’re doing well, just keep at it. I will see you in the IPL,'" he said.
Hinge reflects on his journey
Hinge reflected on his journey in the sport and the support he received from the MRF academy. "When I was in the sixth standard, I told my dad that I wanted to play cricket. He said I was still very young and asked me to wait one more year. So, he got me a bat to play with a tennis ball. I wasn’t aware that cricket is played with the season ball. The following year, after my exams, he enrolled me in a summer camp.
"I gave it my all and played a lot. That’s when I learned that you have to rotate your arm if you want to bowl fast. I didn’t know that before. After two months, my dad said, ‘It’s up to you whether you want to continue or not.’ I said, ‘I want to play.’ He told me that I would have to manage school, studies, and cricket together, and I was ready to do whatever was needed. On the first day, he dropped me off at the club, and after that, I went by myself. He would only come when the fees had to be paid; otherwise, he didn’t show much involvement. But the support was always there."
Hinge speaks on his Australia visit
The fast bowler travelled to Australia from the MRF Academy and opened up on his interactions with Josh Hazlewood and Jhye Richardson. "I was getting calls from the MRF Academy for two years, but didn’t go. The year I finally went, I was injured. Naveen Babu, the physio, examined me and said I had a stress fracture in my back. He paid a lot of attention to my recovery, and those seven to eight months were tough. I had to skip one season and returned after that. In the U-23 season, I picked up around 27 to 28 wickets.
"After that, I was also part of the Emerging India camp. When I went to MRF in the first year, I learned that two players are sent to Australia every year. The next year, I was eager to go, so I performed well in the domestic season, hoping to get that opportunity. Bowling in Australia was quite an experience. I am a huge fan of Josh Hazlewood, so meeting him was quite special. I also met Jhye Richardson. I asked them about fitness, how to manage oneself during the season, training routines, diet, and more. It was a huge learning curve," he said.
