Published: April 13, 2026 at 11:44 pm
It took just six balls from IPL debutant Praful Prakash Hinge to set the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on fire. Vidarbha’s 24-year-old pacer single-handedly mowed down Rajasthan Royals as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a handsome 57-run victory on Monday night.
Bowling, especially with skipper Pat Cummins not available, has been Sunrisers’ weak spot. Prior to this game, they have failed to defend 200 plus scores but on Monday, Praful, who was playing only his second T20 match in senior cricket, struck thrice in the first over to settle the issue even before the dust arose.
Praful Hinge became the first bowler in the history of IPL to bag three wickets in the first over
Praful struck with the second ball as he had Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (0) caught by Salil Arora. Praful then packed off Dhruv Jurel off the fourth ball as he shattered the stumps. The Vidarbha pacer finished the over in style as he had Lhuan-dre Pretorius caught by Nitish Kumar Reddy to become the first bowler in the history of IPL to bag three wickets in the first over. Praful had figures of 1-0-1-3 in the first over.
Debutant Sakib bags fours as Royals flounder
Another debutant Sakib Hussain then had the prized wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal (2) and Praful had his fourth wicket in the next over as he accounted for Rajasthan Royals’ skipper Ryan Parag to leave the visitors tottering at nine for five.
Thereafter, it was only a matter of time for Sunrisers to bag their second victory this season. Ravindra Jadeja (45; 32 balls; 5×4) and Donovan Ferreira (69; 44 balls, 7×4, 3×6) then stitched a face-saving 118-run stand for the sixth wicket but the effort was not going to alter the result. Royals were bowled out for 159 in 19 overs.
Both the debutants picked up four wickets apiece. Praful Hinge had figures of 4 for 34, while Sakib Hussain got 4 for 24. Eshan Malinga finished with 2 for 31 as the Sunrisers Hyderabad pacers came to the party.
Sakib Hussain took four for 24 to make it a grand double for both Sunrisers Hyderabad debutants
Praful, who made his First-Class debut for Vidarbha in 2024, was a regular fixture earlier in the season, picking up 16 wickets across six matches (11 innings). His only T20 was against Andhra in December 2025 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy when he took 1 for 23 but his T20 breakthrough came at the inaugural edition of the Vidarbha Pro T20 League last year, when he was a vital contributor to Neco Master Blasters’ title charge.
Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad had a bad start with opener Abhishek Sharma (0) falling for the first ball of the game. Jofra Archer had the southpaw caught by Ravi Bishnoi with nothing on the board.
However, skipper Ishan Kishan joined Travis Head and steadied not only the innings but also the nerves in the dressing room as well as in the stands.
While Head was not at his best, Kishan took time to settle down. He bid his time and to adjust to the wicket. The duo added a 40-ball 55 with Kishan getting 37 off 22 balls and Head making a run-a-ball 18 before he fell to Riyan Parag, who bowled only one over but got the important wicket of Head.
Kishan and Klaasen lay platform for a big score
This brought Heinrich Klaasen to the wicket. Klaasen had a not-so-happy outing in the previous game as he struggled to time the ball and thereby slowed down the scoring rate.
Ishan Kishan hammered a 44-ball 91 to help Sunrisers Hyderabad reach 216 against Rajasthan Royals on Monday night. Pics: BCCI
But on Monday, Klaasen kept pace with Kishan, who turned the corner after Head’s departure. Kishan went after the Royals’ attack and Sunrisers were heading towards another big score.
While Head and Kishan had taken 40 balls to get 55, Kishan and Klaasen took just 39 balls to get 88 for the third wicket. Klaasen contributed a 17-ball 30, while Kishan blazed to a 22-ball 54 before he fell. His first 22 balls got 37 runs and the next 22 fetched him 54.
Kishan was caught and bowled by Sandeep Sharma but not before he had plundered six sixes and eight fours in his 44-ball 91.
Klaasen made 40 and then Nitish Kumar Reddy scored 28 off 13 balls with six sixes and Salil Arora made an unbeaten 24 off 13 balls as Sunrisers reached 216 for six in their 20 overs.
Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 216 for six in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 91, Heinrich Klaasen 40, Nitish Kumar Reddy 28, Salil Arora 24 not out; Jofra Archer 2/37) beat Rajasthan Royals 159 in 19 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 45, Donovan Ferreira 69, Tushar Deshpande 25; Praful Hinge 4/34, Sakib Hussain 4/24, Eshan Malinga 2/31).
