Better late than never. Praful Hinge, the 24-year-old pacer from Vidarbha, was slated to make his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut last week for Sunrisers Hyderabad against the Punjab Kings. Ishan Kishan confirmed his name at the toss, but at the last moment, the franchise went ahead with Jaydev Unadkat as the impact sub. There was disappointment on the young tearaway quick’s face; however, he didn’t have to wait long. Two days later, Hinge made his IPL debut, and boy, what a sensational one it turned out to be.
Hinge achieved what several legendary bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Lasith Malinga, Mohammed Shami and Mitchell Starc – couldn’t do. Became the first bowler in IPL history to dismiss three batters in the opening over of a match. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel and Lhuan-dre Pretorius all fell prey to Hinge’s pace and bounce. He returned figures of 4/34, winning the Player of the Match award and helping Sunrisers register their second win of the season. During his interaction with the broadcaster, Hinge exuded confidence, saying he manifested taking four or five wickets on his IPL debut. Moreover, he also revealed that he had planned to dismiss the boy wonder Sooryavanshi for a first-ball duck.
Four wickets on IPL debut may paint a rosy picture, but few know the grind the pacer endured over the last few years. Until last evening, Hinge had played just one T20, against Andhra, returning 1/23. A lower-back injury threatened to cut short his career, prompting a visit to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai to turn things around.
Role of the foundation
A day after Hinge’s stunning performance, Hindustan Times Digital spoke to MRF Pace Foundation coach M Senthilnathan about how the pacer was given all the support needed to turn things around and stay injury-free.
“In 2023, we selected him. He had a back injury at that time. And then, first, we thought we’d have to do the rehab and get him stronger with fitness. And then we started analysing why that back problem happened. Then we realised there was a technical issue, and we fine-tuned his technique. And then, which helped him work better, and his injury probably did not recur. So this was 2023. In 2023, he went back to his state and played his under-23 games. Our programme runs from March to August,” Senthilnathan, head of cricket affairs at the Foundation, told HT.
“In August, when he went, he went match fit, back to his state. In 2024, when he came back, he was ready and strong. And then we really worked on his fitness. And then the bowling areas and the technique were kept on, and he was told, ‘You’ve got to do this.’ If you’re going to fall, definitely your back will have problems. And then he worked on that,” he added.
Senthilnathan said Hinge’s strength has always been his ability to bowl a tight line and length. Recognising his potential, the Foundation also sent him to Brisbane, where he trained at the High-Performance Centre.
“His strength is that he can hit the right length and line. When he hits the line and length, there’s some deviation. That is, he can get some moment, which could be troubling the batsman, but he has a very good length to bowl all the time. So that’s his plus. In 2024, we also took him to the MRF Pace Foundation and Cricket Australia, which has an MOU, which is an exchange programme we have. So we took him to Australia, Cricket Australia, where they have the high-performance centre in Brisbane. So he got trained there for a couple of years as well. So he comes along with me. And so that’s another exposure for him. In 2025, he was totally fit and then really worked hard on his fitness, making him stronger,” he said.
“We have worked on everything. So probably he’s got the right chance now and definitely has performed and shown that he can do something,” he added.
The Glenn McGrath factor
Australia legend Glenn McGrath, director of coaching at the Foundation, also had several interactions with the 24-year-old Hinge, helping him develop greater awareness as a bowler and a better understanding of the lengths required in different situations.
“McGrath has played all three formats. He adds so much value by telling the bowlers about the importance of bowling into the right areas and creating pressure for the batters. He told him that with every ball, you can’t get a wicket. And how to come out at a pressure stage on the ground. That is very important because that man has experienced himself,” said Senthilnathan.
“So he knows how to handle the pressure, which is very, very important, which he has passed on to him. Any of this can help him on the ground because on the ground, he’s fighting his battle. So there’s no one close to him. If any of this, whatever we have worked with him, gives him 1 per cent of spark. Definitely, it could make a change.”
