‘Goal is to lift the trophy’ – Praful Hinge eyes the prize after stunning IPL debut

Vidarbha fast-bowler Praful Hinge has become the talk of the town after his debut with Sunrisers Hyderabad. He bowled a fantastic spell in the powerplay, where he picked up four wickets in their 57-run win against the in-form Rajasthan Royals.

One of his biggest feats of the match came when he picked up three wickets in the first over. Praful dismissed the in-form prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi off the first ball of the innings, as he top-edged a short ball, which was taken safely by Ishan Kishan. Dhruv Jurel chopped one onto his stumps next, before Lhuan-dre Pretorios chipped one straight to deep-backwards square leg.

With three wickets for one run in his first over, a feat which has never been achieved previously in the IPL. In his next over, he also picked up the wicket of Riyan Parag, which had the Royals reeling at 9/5 in the third over of the game. The 24-year-old finished with figures of 4/34 and picked up the Player of the Match Award.

Speaking on his preparation and understanding of the game, Hinge spoke of how he views the game by always thinking of what he would do in a particular situation in any match. 

“I didn’t prepare anything special as such. Whenever I watch a match, I ask myself, ‘What would I do in that situation? How would I bowl?’ So, even if it’s a World Cup match and I imagine bowling to the best batsman in the opposition, I think through my approach. That’s always been my thought process; it keeps me constantly thinking about being in a match situation,” Hinge said on JioHotstar, after the match against the Royals.

Signed by the Sunrisers for his base price of INR 30 lakhs ahead in the Mini Auction ahead of the 2026 season, Hinge has been slowly establishing himself in the Vidarbha domestic set-up. He has played ten first-class games and has picked up 27 wickets.

Hinge also laid out the goals that he has for the season, the main one being to win the IPL trophy and contribute to his team in the process. He also stated his desire to win the best fielder award by taking a brilliant catch in the tournament.

“My first goal is definitely to win and lift the trophy. Secondly, if I get the opportunity, I will try to win as many matches as I can for my side and give my 100 per cent. Apart from that, I would love to take one of the best catches in the IPL and aim for the Best Fielder award,” Hinge added.

Hinge’s bowling blitz helped the Sunrisers break the game open in the second innings, after putting on 216/6 being put into bat. They bundled the Royals out for 159, with co-debutant Sakib Hussain also picking up four wickets.