You probably didn’t know the name Praful Hinge before April 13, 2026. By the time that night ended, you couldn’t forget it. Six balls. Three wickets. One run. And a 19-year-old IPL record broken clean in half.
This is the story of a lanky kid from Nagpur who cycled to practice because he didn’t want to trouble his parents for bus fare, bowled with an illegal action as a teenager, almost quit cricket after a spine fracture, and walked into the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium as a complete unknown. What happened next was the kind of debut that only shows up in a highlight reel once every 19 years.
If you’ve been searching for a proper Praful Hinge biography — not just a Wikipedia-style stat sheet — this is where you get the full picture. Early life, family, training, injuries, the SRH deal, the historic over, the people who got him there, and the stats to go with it all.
Who Is Praful Hinge? Quick Profile at a Glance
Before we go deep, here’s the short version in one place.
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Praful Prakash Hinge |
| Nickname | Unhinged |
| Date of Birth | January 18, 2002 |
| Age (April 2026) | 24 years |
| Hometown | Nagpur, Maharashtra |
| Height | Approx. 5 ft 10 in |
| Batting Style | Right-hand bat |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Bowling Speed | 135–142 km/h |
| Domestic Team | Vidarbha |
| IPL Team | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| IPL 2026 Price | ₹30 lakh (base) |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Idol | Pat Cummins |
| Estimated Net Worth (2026) | ₹50–70 lakh |
Growing Up in Nagpur — The Boy Who Cycled to Cricket Practice
Praful was born on January 18, 2002, in Nagpur, right in the heart of Vidarbha. Nagpur isn’t Mumbai or Bangalore when it comes to cricket infrastructure. You don’t stumble into a world-class academy on every street corner. Kids there work with what they have, and more often than not, that means public grounds, local club coaches, and a lot of patience.
Praful’s father used to play some gully cricket around the neighbourhood as a young man. Not at any serious level, just the kind of weekend stuff most Indian dads remember fondly. But he never pushed his son into the sport. According to Prakash himself, he just enrolled Praful at a local academy when the boy started showing interest, and then stepped back.
That hands-off style became a defining feature of the Hinge household.
A Middle-Class Household With Strict Discipline
A Middle-Class Household With Strict Discipline
Praful was the exact opposite of a studious kid. He’d wake up at 4 AM, pedal kilometres on his bicycle to get to the ground, come back sweaty and tired, and walk into school half-asleep. Teachers used his sister as the example of how to behave in class, not him.
He owns that reputation openly. He says he was never going to be the academic one in the family, so he had to be the best at the one thing he actually cared about.
Meet the Hinge Family — Prakash, Alka, and Pragati
Here’s something most biographies about Praful skip. His family members actually have names, and they matter to his story.
His father is Prakash Hinge, a retired government employee and former neighbourhood cricketer. He’s soft-spoken, measured, and by his own admission, not a pushy parent. His style was simple: give the kid the chance, give him the space, then trust the coaches.
His mother is Alka Hinge, a homemaker. She had zero cricket background growing up. She learned the game by checking Praful’s scores on her phone. On IPL debut night, she watched the match from their Nagpur home, saw her son take four wickets, and quietly cried.
His sister, Pragati Hinge, is a Chartered Accountant. And not just any CA student. She was the Vidarbha-zone merit topper back in 2014, from nursery to Class 10 she was a school topper, and she put her own CA exam prep on hold to drive Praful to practice when the family needed an extra pair of hands. Praful has said her discipline is the reason he learned how to grind.
Three people. Three completely different lives. One kid’s cricket dream at the centre of all of it.
The Accidental Bowler — How Praful Switched From Batting to Pace
Here’s the twist that nobody expects. Praful didn’t start out as a fast bowler. He didn’t even know what leather-ball cricket was until he was around 13. On the local grounds of Nagpur, he mostly batted. And he quite liked it.
His father had other ideas. He looked at his son’s height, his long arms, his loose shoulder, and told him to try fast bowling instead. That single piece of fatherly advice changed the direction of his entire life. One day Praful was a lower-order hitter with no real bowling role. The next, he was running in with a tennis ball and trying to figure out how to land it on a spot.
The Illegal Action Phase and How He Fixed It
Switching from batting to bowling as a teenager isn’t as clean as it sounds. Praful’s early action was a mess. His arm bent more than the rules allow. Technically, his delivery was illegal. Most kids in his shoes would have drifted back to batting.
He didn’t. He spent months in front of mirrors, watching clips of international bowlers, breaking down his action piece by piece with club coaches. Slowly, he built a repeatable rhythm. The elbow straightened out. The wrist position stabilised. And when it all clicked, he realised he could actually bowl quick.
That willingness to sit with a broken technique instead of running from it is the single biggest reason he’s where he is today.
The Academy Years — From VCA Nets to MRF Pace Foundation
By 16, Praful had caught the eye of the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Academy. This is where the amateur phase ended and the proper training began.
Coach Sanjeev and the Under-19 Breakthrough
At VCA, he trained under coach Sanjeev, who saw the raw material almost immediately. The kid was tall, fast, and willing to listen. During Under-19 trials, Praful picked up 36 wickets. Not in a season. In the trials. That’s the kind of number that forces a selection committee to stop scrolling and start paying attention.
Around this time, Vidarbha won the Ranji Trophy in 2017-18, and Praful watched the celebrations up close. He decided right there that he wanted to be in that dressing room one day, wearing that badge.
The Prashant Vaidya Recommendation That Changed Everything
This bit is almost completely missing from other Praful Hinge biographies online, which is strange because it’s a huge turning point.
Former India pacer Prashant Vaidya, who was associated with VCA, noticed Praful during a training camp. He pulled the coaches aside and said something along the lines of: this kid needs to go to MRF. That single recommendation is what got Praful on the radar of the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai.
And MRF, as any young Indian pacer will tell you, is where careers either accelerate or evaporate.
The L4 Stress Fracture That Almost Ended His Career
Then came the setback that nobody talks about.
In March 2023, at MRF, physio Naveen Babu PK ran some scans and delivered news Praful wasn’t ready for. He had a severe L4 stress fracture on the left side of his lumbar spine. For a fast bowler, that’s as bad as it gets. The rehab was six to eight months of no bowling, just strength work, core building, and a lot of staring at the ceiling.
He was 21. He’d just walked into his dream academy. And now he couldn’t even bowl a single delivery.
A lot of kids break mentally at that point. Praful used the break to rebuild his fitness from the ground up. He added yoga, changed his diet, worked on his glutes and core, and came back physically stronger than before the injury. That MRF stint eventually connected him with Varun Aaron and M Senthilnathan, both of whom have since shaped his bowling blueprint.
Brisbane, Hazlewood, and the 15-Day Pace Clinic
In 2024, Praful was sent to Australia for a 15-day high-performance camp at the Bupa National Cricket Centre in Brisbane. He bowled alongside Josh Hazlewood and Jhye Richardson. He studied their run-ups, their wrist positions, their approach to the crease.
Very few domestic-level Indian pacers get that kind of exposure before playing their first Ranji Trophy. Praful did, and it showed up almost immediately in his seam position.
Age-Group Numbers That Selectors Could Not Ignore
Before the senior stuff, there’s a stats story in the junior tournaments that most biographies skip entirely.
Cooch Behar Trophy 2019-20 and CK Nayudu Trophy 2023-24
In the 2019-20 Cooch Behar Trophy (the Under-19 four-day tournament), he played 11 matches and picked up 36 wickets at an average of 25. In the 2023-24 CK Nayudu Trophy (Under-23), he played 7 games and took 26 wickets at an average of 19.
Those numbers are what Ravichandran Ashwin was referencing when he mentioned before IPL 2026 that “nobody is talking about Praful” and that his inswing with the new ball makes him genuinely dangerous. Ashwin had done his homework. Most fans hadn’t.
Senior Domestic Journey With Vidarbha
Once Praful was fit and firing, the senior-level progression was fast.
Ranji Trophy Title Winner on Debut Season
His First-Class debut came in October 2024 against Puducherry. In his very first season, Vidarbha went on to win the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, beating Kerala in the final. Praful picked up 11 wickets in 4 matches at an average of 27.09 during that title run. Debut season, trophy in hand.
In the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy, he became a regular. He played 6 matches, took 16 wickets in 11 innings at 26.37, with a best of 4/60. Across both seasons combined, he’s got 27 wickets in 10 first-class matches at an average of 26.7. Those are workhorse numbers, not flashy ones. Which is exactly why SRH’s scouting team liked him.
Vijay Hazare Trophy Champion 2025-26
List A debut came in January 2025 against Mizoram in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He played a supporting role with disciplined middle-over spells and finished the 2025-26 season with 5 wickets in 5 matches. Vidarbha won the title. Two trophies in two debut seasons. Not bad.
There’s a nice moment from this phase too. In a game against Baroda, he troubled Hardik Pandya for a stretch before Pandya eventually scored a hundred. Other bowlers remember those phases. Praful took notes.
The Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vidarbha Pro T20 Breakthrough
His T20 debut was more recent than you’d expect. December 2025, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, against Andhra. He returned figures of 1 for 23 in 4 overs, dismissing Andhra captain Ricky Bhui. That was literally his only professional T20 match before he walked out in IPL colours.
In between, he did play the inaugural Vidarbha Pro T20 League for Neco Master Blasters and took 8 wickets in 6 matches at an economy of 8.96 to help them lift the title. Small league, but it got him comfortable with the white ball.
How Praful Hinge Ended Up at Sunrisers Hyderabad
The IPL journey wasn’t clean either.
The Unsold 2025 Heartbreak
Praful went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction. He was young, had barely any T20 pedigree, and franchises weren’t ready to spend on him yet. He processed it in his own way. He went back to the gym, kept his head down, and told his father he’d be there next season.
He actually wrote that down. He had a goal-setting habit where he’d note his targets for the year. “IPL debut” was on the 2026 list. Manifestation, journaling, whatever you want to call it — he was preparing mentally before anyone gave him a chance.
The Nagpur Temple Where He Heard About His IPL Deal
Fast forward to the IPL 2026 mini auction. Praful wasn’t even watching it live. He was at a temple in Nagpur with his family when his phone started buzzing. Sunrisers Hyderabad had picked him up at his base price of ₹30 lakh.
Not a bad place to find out that your life just changed.
The Varun Aaron Trial That Sealed His Future
The story behind the SRH pick is worth knowing. Back in November 2025, after a Ranji game against Tamil Nadu that was televised live, SRH bowling coach Varun Aaron called Praful in for a private trial. That trial is what got him on the SRH shortlist ahead of the mini auction. Aaron had worked with Praful briefly at MRF years earlier, so he already knew what he was getting.
Sometimes the right contact at the right moment matters more than the biggest auction bid.
April 13, 2026 — The Six Balls That Changed Indian Cricket
Now the part you came for.
Before we get to the historic over, there’s a small twist. Praful was originally in SRH’s playing XI for Match 17 against Punjab Kings on April 11. The team switched Jaydev Unadkat in as the impact player at the last minute, so Praful sat out and didn’t take the field.
Two days later, against Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, captain Ishan Kishan walked up to him during the innings break and told him he was opening the bowling.
Against Yashasvi Jaiswal. And Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Ball-by-Ball Breakdown of the Historic First Over
| Ball | Batter | Outcome | Score |
| 0.1 | Yashasvi Jaiswal | Single to deep backward point | 1/0 |
| 0.2 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | OUT — caught by Salil Arora (golden duck) | 1/1 |
| 0.3 | Dhruv Jurel | Dot ball | 1/1 |
| 0.4 | Dhruv Jurel | OUT — bowled (duck) | 1/2 |
| 0.5 | Lhuan-dre Pretorius | Dot ball | 1/2 |
| 0.6 | Lhuan-dre Pretorius | OUT — caught at deep backward square leg (duck) | 1/3 |
Final first-over figures: 1-0-1-3. One over, one run, three wickets. No wides. No no-balls. His father, watching from home in Nagpur, later said it was the second ball — the one that bowled Jurel — that told him his son was about to do something the history books would remember.
The Second Spell and the Riyan Parag Wicket
Praful came back for his second over and trapped RR captain Riyan Parag with a wide, away-going delivery that took the edge to the slip cordon. First spell numbers: 3 overs, 0 maidens, 18 runs, 4 wickets, 13 dot balls.
He finished the match with 4/34 from 4 overs. SRH won by 57 runs. Player of the Match: Praful Prakash Hinge, on debut, for a team that signed him 14 days earlier.
The IPL Records He Shattered in 24 Minutes
- First bowler in 19 seasons of IPL history to take three wickets in the first over of an innings. Before him, there were 32 instances of two wickets in the opening over, never three.
- 7th bowler in IPL history to take a 4-wicket haul on debut, joining Alzarri Joseph, Andrew Tye, Shoaib Akhtar, and David Wiese.
- Rajasthan Royals’ 1/3 after one over is now the lowest aggregate for the top order in any IPL innings, breaking CSK’s 3/4 against MI in 2020.
What Makes Praful Hinge So Dangerous With the New Ball
If you break down his bowling, it’s less about raw pace and more about a combination of small advantages stacked on top of each other.
His Pace, Bounce, and Wobble Seam
- Consistent speeds of 140+ km/h, with occasional balls clocking above that.
- Tall, lanky frame that generates steep bounce off the deck, a feature Indian pitches rarely punish quicks for.
- Hit-the-deck length rather than fuller swinging deliveries, which works beautifully in the powerplay when batters are trying to go over the top.
- Developing a wobble seam delivery, a newer variation that he’s been working on with Varun Aaron.
- Sharp, full yorkers at the death, picked up during his MRF stint.
- A natural inswing with the new ball, which R Ashwin specifically mentioned as his most dangerous asset.
The Mental Side — Manifestation, Discipline, and Punctuality
There’s a quieter edge to his game that doesn’t show up on a speed gun.
He’s obsessive about punctuality. He respects his kit, looks after his bats, his shoes, his gear. He reads sports biographies to understand the mental side of the game. He writes his annual goals on paper. He watches clips of international bowlers during downtime instead of scrolling Instagram.
His sister calls him the most disciplined and mentally strong person she knows. Off the field, he plays badminton, travels with friends, and in his own words, “can’t stand still.” On the field, he’s calm enough to bowl a six-for-three in his first IPL over against a teenage prodigy without blinking.
Praful Hinge Career Stats (Updated April 2026)
| Format | Matches | Wickets | Average | Best | Economy |
| First-Class | 10 | 27 | 26.70 | 5/55 | — |
| List A | 6 | 5 | — | — | — |
| T20 (Domestic) | 1 | 1 | 23.00 | 1/23 | 5.75 |
| IPL 2026 | 1 | 4 | 8.50 | 4/34 | 8.50 |
| Vidarbha Pro T20 | 6 | 8 | ~25 | — | 8.96 |
| Cooch Behar Trophy (U-19) 2019-20 | 11 | 36 | 25.00 | — | — |
| CK Nayudu Trophy (U-23) 2023-24 | 7 | 26 | 19.00 | — | — |
Praful Hinge Net Worth, Salary, and Endorsements
As of April 2026, Praful Hinge’s estimated net worth sits between ₹50 lakh and ₹70 lakh. For a 24-year-old who’s played one IPL match, that’s a healthy starting point.
| Source | Estimated Annual Earnings |
| IPL 2026 Contract (SRH) | ₹30 lakh |
| Domestic Cricket Income (Vidarbha) | ₹10–20 lakh |
| Match Fees and Win Bonuses | ₹5–10 lakh |
| Brand Endorsements | Minimal, just starting |
| Total Estimated Net Worth | ₹50–70 lakh |
After his record-breaking debut, his numbers are almost guaranteed to climb. Expect a significantly bigger IPL price tag in the next auction, and a rush of regional endorsement deals from Nagpur and Maharashtra-based brands.
The People Who Shaped His Journey
No fast bowler rises alone. Here are the names Praful credits most often.
Pat Cummins — The Captain Who Was Also His Idol
Praful has said in multiple interviews that Pat Cummins has always been his biggest inspiration. The way he bowls, the way he captains, the way he carries himself under pressure. Then, in a storybook coincidence, Cummins became his SRH captain. Even though Cummins is currently nursing a lumbar back injury, Praful has said sharing the same dressing room is a dream he once didn’t dare to speak out loud.
Umesh Yadav — The Vidarbha Mentor
Umesh is Vidarbha’s most famous pace export, and he took Praful under his wing early. When Praful made his T20 debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he opened the bowling alongside Umesh. He’s said he absorbs Umesh’s stories about coming from a modest Nagpur background and breaking into the Indian team, and that “lagta thaa ki inke jaisa hi banna hain” — I always wanted to become like him.
Akshay Wadkar and Usman Ghani’s Influence
Two names that rarely get mentioned in other biographies but absolutely should. Akshay Wadkar is the Vidarbha captain, and Praful has credited him for keeping the dressing room tight and motivated. Usman Ghani is the Vidarbha head coach, who was one of the first people to celebrate publicly after Praful’s SRH debut. The Vidarbha ecosystem isn’t flashy, but it’s a place where young pacers get backed quietly and consistently.
Lesser-Known Facts About Praful Hinge
A few things that the top-ranking biographies either skipped or buried in a footnote.
- His nickname is “Unhinged”, given by teammates as a play on his surname and his aggressive short-ball approach.
- He didn’t know what leather-ball cricket was until age 13. He literally thought cricket meant tennis-ball gully games.
- His school teachers used his sister as an example, not him, during class.
- He cycled long distances to practice every day because he didn’t want to ask his parents for transport money.
- He was carrying a stress fracture without realising it before MRF physios diagnosed it in March 2023.
- He wrote “IPL debut” as a 2026 goal in his personal notebook after going unsold in 2025.
- He was in a temple in Nagpur when SRH bought him in the mini auction.
- He was actually named in the XI against Punjab Kings two days before his real debut, but didn’t take the field because the team picked Unadkat as impact player.
- He opened the bowling alongside Umesh Yadav on his T20 debut for Vidarbha.
- His Instagram handle is @prafulhinge_140, and the “140” is widely assumed to reference his bowling speed.
- He drives an MG Hector, rides a Royal Enfield, and wears a Casio watch. Not the flashiest list for an IPL debutant.
- His hobbies include badminton and travelling. He’s said he struggles to sit still for more than an hour.
What’s Next for the 24-Year-Old From Nagpur
It’s genuinely too early to predict what Praful becomes. But the signals are loud.
He’s already a Ranji Trophy winner. He’s already a Vijay Hazare Trophy winner. He’s trained at MRF. He’s worked with Hazlewood in Brisbane. He’s got the historic IPL debut that’ll be replayed every time the league celebrates a milestone.
The near-term goals writing themselves are clear:
- Lock down a regular starting spot in SRH’s XI beyond IPL 2026.
- Earn an India A call-up on the back of a productive domestic season.
- Become Vidarbha’s lead pacer in both red-ball and white-ball cricket.
- Push for a senior India debut, most likely in Test cricket first given his skill set.
If he keeps even half the discipline he’s shown so far, none of those goals look unrealistic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Praful Hinge? Praful Hinge is a 24-year-old right-arm medium-fast bowler from Nagpur, Maharashtra. He plays domestic cricket for Vidarbha and represents Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. He became the first bowler in IPL history to take three wickets in the opening over of an innings on his debut on April 13, 2026.
What is Praful Hinge’s age and date of birth? He was born on January 18, 2002, which makes him 24 years old as of April 2026.
Who are Praful Hinge’s parents? His father is Prakash Hinge, a retired government employee and former gully cricketer. His mother is Alka Hinge, a homemaker. He also has one older sister, Pragati Hinge, who is a Chartered Accountant and was a Vidarbha-zone merit topper in 2014.
How fast does Praful Hinge bowl? He consistently clocks between 135 and 142 km/h, with his quicker deliveries going slightly above 140 km/h. He relies more on bounce, seam position, and accuracy than on pure raw pace.
What was Praful Hinge’s IPL 2026 auction price? Sunrisers Hyderabad picked him up at his base price of ₹30 lakh in the IPL 2026 mini auction, after he went unsold in the 2025 mega auction.
What records did Praful Hinge break on his IPL debut? He became the first bowler in 19 seasons of IPL to take three wickets in the opening over of an innings. He also joined a short list of bowlers to take a four-wicket haul on debut, and he reduced Rajasthan Royals to 1/3 after the first over, the lowest aggregate for a top order in any IPL innings.
Where did Praful Hinge train? He started at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Academy in Nagpur under coach Sanjeev. He later moved to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai in 2022, where he worked with M Senthilnathan and Varun Aaron. In 2024, he attended a 15-day high-performance camp at the Bupa National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.
Who is Praful Hinge’s idol? Pat Cummins. Praful has said in multiple interviews that Cummins has been his role model since his teenage years, which makes it extra special that Cummins is now his SRH captain.
Is Praful Hinge married? No. He is unmarried as of 2026 and has not publicly spoken about any relationship.
What is Praful Hinge’s net worth in 2026? His estimated net worth is between ₹50 lakh and ₹70 lakh, which includes his IPL contract, domestic cricket income, and match fees. This figure is expected to rise significantly after his record-breaking debut.