Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain script dream debuts to end RR's winning run

Led by an inspired new-ball bowling performance by debutants Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, Sunrisers Hyderabad ended Rajasthan Royals' four-game winning start to IPL 2026. After posting 216/6, the duo derailed the chase, reducing the visitors to 9 for 5 by the end of the third over. Donovan Ferreira and Ravindra Jadeja stitched a 118-run stand off 72 balls to keep Royals in the hunt, but they eventually fell short by 57 runs.

Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 216/6 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 91 off 44, Heinrich Klaasen 40 off 26; Jofra Archer 2-37) beat Rajasthan Royals 159 in 19 overs (Donovan Ferreira 69 off 44, Ravindra Jadeja 45 off 32; Sakib Hussain 4-24, Praful Hinge 4-34) by 57 runs.

Praful Hinge, on his debut, ripped through Royals' top order with three wickets in the first over of the innings—becoming the first-ever player to achieve that feat in the IPL. By the end of the third over, each of Royals' top-five batters was back in the pavilion, with Hinge taking four of those wickets.

Seventh duck for Abhishek Sharma in 2026

For a second game in a row, Jofra Archer struck off the first ball as Abhishek Sharma was caught on the fence. It was Sharma's seventh duck in T20 cricket this year. Archer and Nandre Burger tested Travis Head and Ishan Kishan with extra bounce, keeping the early charge in check. Kishan cut loose from the fifth over, taking apart Sandeep Sharma and Tushar Deshpande to help SRH to 51/2 in the powerplay.

Captain Kishan keeps the fight on

Just as Ishan Kishan and Travis Head looked to accelerate, Riyan Parag dismissed Head immediately. Kishan, however, kept the charge going. He plundered 21 runs off Tushar Deshpande in the 11th over and smashed Jofra Archer for four boundaries two overs later. In partnership with Heinrich Klaasen, he added 88 runs off 39 balls before falling nine short of a century.

Reddy, Arora bring muscle to the finish

Deshpande and Sharma dismissed Kishan and Klaasen in quick succession, briefly pulling back the scoring rate. However, late cameos from Nitish Reddy (28 off 13) and Salil Arora (24* off 13) propelled SRH to 216/6, aided by a flurry of wides as both RR pacers conceded over 50 runs in their four-over spells.

In his first-ever IPL game, Hinge began by dismissing Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, and Lhuan Dre-Pretorious in the first over—the first bowler to take three wickets in his maiden IPL over.

The collapse continued. Sakib Hussain, the other debutant, dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal in the next over. By the fifth over, even skipper Riyan Parag was gone, edging to slip. Reduced to 9 for 5 within three overs, the contest was effectively over by the powerplay.

Ferreira-Jadeja keep hopes up

On a flat track, Ferreira and Jadeja steadied the innings and kept boundaries flowing, ensuring the game remained within reach while they were at the crease. Their counter-attack ignited in the 11th over when Ferreira hit Shivang Kumar for a six and a four. With 90 needed off 31 balls, Hussain's slower ball cleaned up Ferreira, ending RR's hopes.

Jadeja was caught behind in the next over after an SRH review. From there, the result was a formality. Jofra Archer mistimed a scoop and was caught. Tushar Deshpande hit a few blows late, but the game was well beyond Royals' grasp.

After their first loss of the season, Royals will travel to Kolkata for a break before facing Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on April 19. Sunrisers Hyderabad will stay at home to host Chennai Super Kings.