New Delhi: Praful Hinge had a dream debut in the Indian Premier League 2026 during Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on
Monday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The 24-year-old pacer from Vidarbha made an instant impact in the cash-rich league with unforgettable spell which left everyone in awe.
Hinge’s first over of his IPL career was a historic one as he claimed three Rajasthan wickets, giving away just one run. Figures of 1-0-1-3 marked the first time in the history of the cash-rich league that three wickets fell in the opening over of an innings, with RR slumping to 1/3. Becoming an overnight sensation on the cricket field also had a big impact on his social media as his followers grew massively.
Watch the destruction
Praful Hinge the best debut till now
What a fiery spell by him #SRHvsRR pic.twitter.com/umR4tZyz5U— RAVI YADAV (@ravihappy935) April 13, 2026
From on-field hero to Instagram star
Before his performance on the field, Praful had around 6,400 followers on social media handle Instagram and after he bowled the magical first over, his followers started growing. The count of his followers took a gigantic leap as it grew to 223K on Tuesday morning, at the time of publishing this report.
Hinge was bought by SRH for Rs 30 lakh as a backup pace option but he proved to be better than a usual pacer creating a bug impact on the field. Meanwhile after giving away a single to RR opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, he struck with his second ball, dismissing explosive opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for a golden duck.
Hinge followed it up by castling Dhruv Jurel and trapping Lhuan-dre Pretorius, caught at long leg off a flick. His brilliant run continued as he later dismissed skipper Riyan Parag for 4 as RR were reduced to 9/5 in three overs. His spell was pivotal in SRH’s 57-run victory and he received the Player of the Match award.
