As Match 17 of IPL 2026 got underway at the New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur, all eyes were on a fresh face in the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) dugout. Praful Hinge was officially set to step onto the big stage for the clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS).
But who is this 24-year-old right-arm seamer and what does he bring to the Orange Army?
Vidarbha’s red-ball workhorse
Praful Hinge hails from Vidarbha and has built a formidable reputation in the domestic circuit as a relentless workhorse. Before his IPL break, Hinge was a standout performer for Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy, where he claimed 27 wickets in just 10 first-class matches at an impressive average of 26.67.
His ability to bowl long, disciplined spells and extract bounce from even flat surfaces made him a prized asset in red-ball cricket. However, his transition to the shortest format has been rapid. SRH secured his services for INR 30 Lakh during the auction ahead of IPL, eyeing him as a high-potential backup for their star-studded pace battery.
The T20 Transition
While his T20 experience was limited prior to today, Hinge made a tidy impression in his debut domestic T20 appearance during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). Opening the bowling alongside veteran Umesh Yadav, he returned figures of 1 for 23 in four overs against Andhra, proving he has the temperament to handle the Powerplay pressure.
What to expect
With SRH missing the expertise of Pat Cummins, Hinge finds himself in a high-pressure environment alongside Harshal Patel. His fitness and ability to maintain pace throughout his spell will be crucial as he looks to trouble a formidable Punjab Kings top order featuring Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh.
PBKS vs SRH Playing XIs
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Punjab Kings Impact subs: Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga
Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact subs: Jaydev Unadkat, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Praful Hinge, Kamindu Mendis
Even though Pinge has been named as an Impact Sub option, captain Ishan Kishan initially confirmed that he is making his debut, revealing that it would be Pinge who will be used as a sub-in, if everthing going as per plan.
“There are two changes. Salil comes in in place of Livingstone and Praful Hinge, it’s his debut game, in place of Jaydev Unadkat,” Kishan said at the toss.
However, as it turned out Pinge did not make his debut in that match but has now been named in the starting XI against Rajasthan Royals (RR).