Who are Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain?

It's rare for bowlers to make such an impact on IPL debut. In history, only five Indian bowlers have taken a four-for in their maiden IPL game. Two of those entries came last night, with an uncapped duo turning out to be Sunrisers Hyderabad's unlikely heroes.

Praful Hinge is a 24-year-old right-arm seamer from Vidarbha. He made it to their senior red-ball team in the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy and has played 10 games, but is far less experienced in the shortest format. His only other T20 appearance came in the 2025/26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he opened the bowling with Umesh Yadav and claimed the wicket of Andhra captain Ricky Bhui.

Bought by SRH for INR 30 lakh (his base price), Hinge started his career at age 13. Known as a hit-the-deck bowler, he has suffered a back injury in the past. After the game, he credited the physios at the MRF Pace Academy for his recovery last year, where he worked with Glenn McGrath and found support in SRH pace bowling coach Varun Aaron.

Hinge was a standout in the 2025 Vidarbha Pro T20 League, taking eight wickets in six games at an economy under 9, helping NECO Master Blaster to the title.

Speaking after the game, Hinge revealed: "Last year, I had written it somewhere that I will take four or five wickets on my debut."

Sakib Hussain, who shared the new ball with Hinge, came in as an Impact Sub for Travis Head. He was also bought by SRH for INR 30 lakh. Two years ago, he was picked by KKR for INR 20 lakh but did not get a game.

He hails from Gopalganj, Bihar, with his father being a farmer and the sole breadwinner. Hussain initially wanted to join the army but was pushed into local tennis-ball cricket. As his career took off, his family faced financial hardship; his mother sold her jewelry so he could buy his first pair of spikes.

The 21-year-old has represented Bihar in first-class and T20 cricket, making his senior debut in the 2022/23 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. At 17, his debut was tough—he conceded 27 runs in two overs—but he starred in the final game of that season, taking four wickets against Gujarat, which led to a nets bowler opportunity with CSK.

In the latest SMAT edition, he took five wickets at 29.6. In red-ball cricket, he impressed in a 2024/25 Ranji Trophy game against Punjab, taking four wickets, and last year took a ten-wicket match haul against Arunachal Pradesh.

With IPL debuts to remember on the same night, Hinge and Hussain's journeys have found a common thread. It remains to be seen where the pace-bowling duo goes from here.