Debutants Shine as Sunrisers Hyderabad Defeat Rajasthan Royals
New Delhi: Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain made a significant impact in their Indian Premier League debut as the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) secured a decisive victory over the previously unbeaten Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on April 13. Both bowlers claimed eight wickets combined, leading to RR’s dismissal for 159, well short of SRH’s target of 216. This match marked the end of RR’s unbeaten streak, having won their first four matches of IPL 2026.
After finishing their innings at 216 runs for six wickets, many anticipated that SRH’s total might not be sufficient against RR’s powerful batting lineup. However, Hinge quickly dismantled RR’s batting order, claiming three wickets in his first over—Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (golden duck), Dhruv Jurel, and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, both falling for two-ball ducks. The RR chase was effectively undermined right from this initial over. Sakib joined forces by taking four wickets as SRH wrapped up the game, with Eshan Malinga contributing two wickets.
Hinge’s Exceptional First Over
Hinge’s first over set the tone for the match. He struck on the second ball, dismissing Sooryavanshi for a golden duck, as the batter top-edged a pull shot. He then removed Jurel on the fourth ball, with the batter playing on after misjudging a ball just outside off stump. Hinge completed a remarkable first over by bowling Pretorius, who also fell for a two-ball duck, flicking to deep backward square leg.
Continuing his disruption, Hinge claimed RR captain Riyan Parag in his second over. Parag was caught at slips after playing at a fuller ball that drifted away. The pressure mounted as RR found themselves at 9 for 5 following the dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal by Sakib.
Sakib’s Four-Wicket Haul
Following Hinge’s explosive start, debutant Sakib took four wickets of his own. He dismissed Jaiswal in the second over, getting him to head out to deep backward point. In the 15th over, he bowled Donovan Ferreira with a slower delivery that kept low. Sakib followed with the wickets of Jofra Archer, caught at short third, and Ravi Bishnoi, who was caught by Ishan Kishan at cover.
Ishan Kishan’s Stellar Batting Performance
Prior to the bowling exploits, Ishan Kishan played a pivotal role with the bat, scoring a remarkable 91 runs off 44 balls, featuring six sixes and eight fours. Heinrich Klaasen provided solid support with 40 runs from 26 deliveries, while Nitish Kumar Reddy and Salil Arora contributed 28 runs off 13 balls and 24 runs off 13 balls, respectively, propelling SRH to their formidable total.
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