One night, a record four-for, and Praful Hinge became an overnight sensation in the IPL. In what was his debut game — and only the second T20 appearance of his career — the Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler ripped through the Rajasthan Royals top order on April 13, effectively ending their hopes of chasing 217 in Hyderabad.
Hinge struck three times in his first six deliveries, including the prized scalp of boy wonder Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
His fame skyrocketed on social media, with his followers reportedly increasing by 5000 per cent within minutes of that heroic spell. Yet, Hinge chose to remain grounded, insisting that he had merely taken a baby step in his career.
The Vidarbha pacer, who was picked up by SRH at the auction last December, dismissed Sooryavanshi off the second ball of the innings. A delivery later, he bowled Dhruv Jurel, and ended the over by removing Lhuan-dre Pretorius — all three batters dismissed for ducks.
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In his second over, he got the better of captain Riyan Parag, reducing Rajasthan to 9 for five inside three overs. SRH went on to win the match by 57 runs, a result that sparked a turnaround in their campaign as they followed it up with consecutive victories to climb into the top half of the table.
“I had thought about getting the crowd out of my head first. I wanted to be as calm as possible. I bowled a lot in the nets too, so I just had to execute those plans in the match. I felt really good when I did that,” SRH’s ‘Fearless Prodigy’ Hinge said in the JioStar Press Room.
Despite going viral, the moment has not altered his mindset.
“I don’t feel like I have changed. I still have a lot to do — this is just the start. I am trying to be the same person I was before.
“I don’t feel like I have become famous. This happens in everyone’s life. If you work hard and get an opportunity, you have to give it 100 per cent. That’s what I did, and it was a great start,” he added.
Among his four wickets, the dismissal of Sooryavanshi drew the most attention. The young batter, rushed by the delivery, attempted an aggressive stroke but only managed a top edge, which was safely taken in the deep.
Responding to a query from Hindustan Times, Hinge revealed that the plan was not accidental.
“I had played an Under-23 game against him earlier and dismissed him with a bouncer. So I thought if I bowled the same ball again, he might go after it. But since he has been attacking from ball one, I decided to test him with a back-of-a-length delivery instead, and he couldn’t execute the shot,” he explained.
The 24-year-old also credited the SRH nets for preparing him for the big stage, especially while bowling to aggressive batters like Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen.
“It’s their style — they go hard at every ball. Our approach in the nets is to simulate match situations, so the more pressure on bowlers, the better the preparation.
“It’s like playing a real game. I am used to being hit for sixes by players like Abhishek, Ishan and Klaasen, so I just focus on bowling my best ball,” said Hinge.