Debutant Praful Hinge Makes IPL History with Sensational Opening Over Hat-Trick

When Ishan Kishan tossed the new ball to Praful Hinge on debut, few inside the stadium could have anticipated what would unfold over the next few minutes. By the time the opening over concluded, the 24-year-old from Vidarbha had etched his name into IPL folklore in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.

Hinge dismissed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel and Lhuan-dre Pretorius — all for zeros — in a breathtaking spell that left Rajasthan Royals reeling at 3-0 in their chase. It marked the first time in 19 years of IPL cricket that a bowler had taken three wickets in the opening over of an innings.

The feat was all the more remarkable given Hinge's relatively limited experience in Twenty20 cricket. Before this moment, he had played just one match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, returning figures of 1-23 against Andhra while sharing the new ball with Umesh Yadav. His primary credentials came from the longer format, where he had claimed 27 wickets in ten first-class matches at an average of 26.7 since making his debut in October 2024.

Yet on the biggest stage of his young career, Hinge delivered a performance that belied his inexperience. His 4-18 spell — ultimately the best figures of the match — placed him among an elite group of bowlers who have taken four or more wickets inside the powerplay. The list includes some of the game's greatest fast bowlers: Shoaib Akhtar, Pat Cummins, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami among them.

Sunrisers Hyderabad had signed Hinge for Rs 30 lakh at the IPL 2026 auction, a modest sum that now looks like an extraordinary piece of business. The young pacer justified the faith shown in him by the franchise's scouts, delivering a breakthrough moment that announced him to the cricket world in unmistakable fashion.

The impact was immediate and profound. What had begun as a routine match suddenly became a showcase for one of cricket's emerging talents. Hinge's ability to generate movement, extract bounce and maintain composure under pressure suggested a maturity beyond his years.

For Sunrisers Hyderabad, the emergence of Hinge adds another weapon to an already formidable attack featuring Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat. For the broader cricket community, it signals the arrival of a new name to monitor as the tournament progresses.

History, they say, is written by those bold enough to seize their moment. On a rainy evening in IPL 2026, Praful Hinge wrote his name into the record books in just six deliveries.