Twenty four year old Praful Hinge has announced himself on the IPL stage in the most dramatic way possible: on his debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Hyderabad, he took three wickets in his very first over, ripping through RR’s top order and producing one of the most explosive opening spells in league history. The Nagpur born right‑arm seamer became the first bowler in IPL history to claim three wickets in the opening over of an innings, turning a routine chase into a sudden collapse and sparking instant stardom for the Vidarbha quick.
Historic first‑over triple‑wicket haul
Put into bat, Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a strong total of 216, with the middle and lower order blazing the ball over the ropes. When Rajasthan Royals came out to chase, with Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, it seemed a gettable target with all the aura built behind the young sensation Suryavanshi. But Praful Hinge had different ideas. Vaibhav walked in as a left‑handed youngster and went for an aggressive shot in the very second ball, only to get a leading edge that was caught by wicketkeeper Arora; Jaiswal and Pretorius then perished in the same over, bowled and getting caught at the deep backward square leg respectively, as the big, swinging delivery and sharp pace left them guessing.
Hinge ended the over with figures of 3/1 off 1, and the shock wore off neither the Rajasthan dug out nor the commentators. IPL records show that while multiple bowlers had taken wickets in the first over before, no one had ever claimed three in the very first six deliveries of an innings, making Hinge’s debut over a unique milestone. By this he became the one and only bowler to claim 3 wickets in first over of a IPL innings.
Who is Praful Hinge?
Praful Hinge is a 24 year old right arm fast bowler from Vidarbha, known in domestic cricket for his aggressive pace, steep bounce, and ability to extract movement off the seam. In just 10 first‑class matches, he has picked up 27 wickets at an average of around 26.7, highlighting his role as a frontline seamer in red‑ball cricket. His best first‑class figures came against Tamil Nadu in November 2025 (4/60), and he has also contributed to Vidarbha’s success in the 2025–26 domestic season, earning inclusion in the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali campaigns.
In the T20 scene, Hinge’s opportunities have been limited so far, but he made an impression in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy by taking 15 wickets in seven matches, underlining his knack for the shorter format. Sunrisers Hyderabad picked him in the IPL 2026 auction for a base price of just ₹30 lakh, seeing him as a high‑pacing backup option alongside established names like Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, and Jaydev Unadkat.
A dream debut in context
Hinge’s first official IPL‑debut moment came in Hyderabad, where he was handed the new ball to bowl the opening over under immense pressure. That he turned that moment into a career‑defining spell, dismantling the Royals’ top order, marks him as one of the most exciting young seamers to enter the league in recent years. Within a few hours of that over, his name was trending across social media, and analysts were comparing his impact to earlier “wow” debuts such as Prasidh Krishna’s 3 fer in his opening IPL match and other rare first‑over‑multiple‑wicket spells.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad, Hinge’s triple‑wicket over not only gave them a commanding early advantage but also added a fresh, fearless edge to their bowling attack. For Praful Hinge, it transformed an incremental step his IPL debut into full blown history, instantly elevating him from Vidarbha‑circuit quick to a household‑name talking point in Indian cricket.
–Samuthiran
