The Indian Premier League is a place where people who are not well known become famous overnight. On Monday, April 13 2026 everyone was talking about Praful Hinge, a 24-year- bowler from Vidarbha because he was going to play for the Sunrisers Hyderabad team against the Rajasthan Royals.
Praful Hinge might be a name for many people who watch the Indian Premier League but his story is really interesting. It shows how hard work and being good at cricket can take you to places.
The “Ghost Debut” of Chandigarh
To understand why Praful Hinges first game was a deal we need to go back a couple of days. On April 11 2026 the Sunrisers Hyderabad team was playing against the Punjab Kings. Praful Hinge was supposed to play his game but something strange happened. The team decided to use a player, Jaydev Unadkat instead of him. This meant that Praful Hinge did not get to play and his first game was not officially counted.
Who is Praful Hinge?
Praful Hinge is from Nagpur. He learned how to play cricket at the Vidarbha Cricket Association academy. This is the place where other famous players like Umesh Yadav and Rajneesh Gurbani learned to play.
1. Early Struggles and The Summer Camp
When Praful Hinge was young his father did not think he should play cricket. He wanted Praful to focus on his studies.. Then Praful went to a summer camp and the coach, Sanjeev saw how good he was. After that his father started to support him.
2. The Domestic Grind
Praful Hinge joined the Vidarbha Cricket Association academy when he was 16 years old. He did well in the under-19 trials taking 36 wickets. He played his big game for Vidarbha in October 2024 and his first List A game in January 2025.
His Statistics in First-Class Cricket (as of April 2026):
- Games: 10
- Wickets: 27
- Average: 26.7
- Best Performance: 5/55
He played an important role in Vidarbhas success in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He can bowl for a time without getting tired which makes him very useful.
Why Sunrisers Hyderabad Signed Him
The Sunrisers Hyderabad team bought Praful Hinge for INR 30 Lakh in the 2026 mini-auction. At first they thought he would be a player but then their main captain, Pat Cummins got hurt. They needed someone who could bowl well and do things too.
Praful Hinge is different from bowlers. He can make the ball bounce, which makes it hard for the other team to hit. He is also very good at bowling with the ball. In his T20 game for Vidarbha he did very well taking 1 wicket for 23 runs in 4 overs. He is also very fit. Can bowl fast for a long time.
The Rajasthan Royals Challenge
Praful Hinges first real game was against the Rajasthan Royals, which’s a very tough team. They had not lost a game in a time and had some very good players. Praful Hinge had to face players like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who’s only 15 years old but very good and Yashasvi Jaiswal who is a star player.
This game was a test for Praful Hinge. He had to show that he could play well in the Premier League, which is a very competitive tournament.
Summary: A Name to Watch
Praful Hinge is a player who has worked hard to get to where he is. He has played well in cricket and now has a chance to play in the Indian Premier League. The Sunrisers Hyderabad team needs players like him to do in the tournament. Whether he becomes a star or not Praful Hinges story is. Shows that anyone can make it big, in cricket if they work hard.
