IPL 2026 Play of the Day: Hinge outsmarts Rajasthan Royals with perfectly baited trap

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s decision to sign Praful Hinge at the IPL 2026 auction barely created any buzz.

If anything, the biggest reaction came from the coincidence of his surname with the dating app Hinge—a detail that quickly became fodder for jokes in IPL circles.

But on April 13 in Hyderabad, the jokes stopped.

Instead, it was Sunrisers Hyderabad who found a match-winning star, while Rajasthan Royals were left completely outplayed by a debutant who stayed a step ahead throughout.

Hinge’s introduction to the IPL couldn’t have been more dramatic. The 24-year-old tore through RR’s top order, dismissing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, and Lhuan-dre Pretorius in his opening burst before returning to remove Riyan Parag. Within three overs, RR had collapsed to 9 for 5.

Four wickets in his first two overs—about as impactful a debut as it gets.

Smart bowling over magic balls

What stood out in Hinge’s spell wasn’t just the wickets, but how he got them.

Against Sooryavanshi, he anticipated aggression and used extra bounce and pace to force an error—something he later admitted was part of a pre-planned approach.

Jurel’s dismissal came through a classic setup: a teasing delivery outside off, followed by a similar line that induced a false shot and rattled the stumps.

Pretorius fell to what seemed like a harmless full ball on the pads, but smart field placement turned a routine flick into a catch.

Even when Riyan Parag looked comfortable, Hinge didn’t panic. After conceding a boundary, he stuck to his plan, bowled just outside off, and tempted the drive—only for Parag to edge it to slips.

The art of the bait

None of these deliveries were extraordinary on their own. Instead, Hinge relied on subtle variations, patience, and the ability to lure batters into risky decisions. It was less about overpowering the opposition and more about outthinking them—dangling opportunities and waiting for mistakes.

For SRH, that makes Hinge more than just a promising debutant. At a base price of ₹30 lakh, he’s already looking like a bargain—and if he continues with this approach, he could soon become a key strike bowler in their lineup.