Praful Hinge Exclusive: Sister’s Sacrifices Powered IPL Dream as SRH pacer ready for Challenge

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For Praful Hinge, life has always been simple. A player who epitomizes the modern-day mindset of keeping things 'Cool', Praful gives one the next-door boy vibe with his eloquence amid simplicity.

A journey which has started in Nagpur's grounds has taken a significant shift when Praful was bought for his base price of INR 30 lakh by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 auction.

Fresh off his stint with Vidarbha in domestic cricket and a triumphant Vidarbha Premier League title, Hinge is buzzing with excitement. And while speaking with MyKhel in an Exclusive Interview, the youngster speaks on a plethora of things. But first of all, he is Excited!

"I am excited. I have a healthy feeling about it. I am looking forward to meet with Pat Cummins as he is my idol. I love his captaincy style and I am ready to learn a lot of things from him and pocket them."

Hinge's journey began humbly in Nagpur, right beside his home. At 12, his father initially denied permission but relented after a summer camp trial. Two months later, he greenlit further play. Books were never Praful's best friends, but he found home with the ball in his hand.

"I was never a brilliant student and was not keen in studying. I used to practice my bowling and often got late for school."

By 13, Hinge honed his bowling skills, cycling to practice and often arriving late to school. His breakthrough came at 16 with entry into the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) academy under coach Sanjeev. A pivotal moment arrived at 19 during U-19 trials, where he snared 36 wickets. COVID disrupted preparations, but it fueled his resolve.

"At the age of 19, I realized that I can be a professional. Played U19 and picked 36 wickets. COVID hampered preparation and then he realized 'If I try harder, I can play at higher level'. I am always ready to work hard and then I played U23. At MRF pace foundation, I realized how I need to improve and got a reality check, which helped in my development."

Praful's guiding Light has been his Sister

Family support was his bedrock. His sister, a Chartered Accountant, sacrificed amid her exams, dropping him off, staying for hours during practice, and studying late nights. The elder sibling instilled a determination to be successful, and the younger one has benefited from it.

"She used to study at nights and her academics is really strong. I wanted to do well at something and wanted to learn."

Hinge aims to repay her faith. His parents, cousins, and brothers plan to cheer him in Hyderabad. Thriving in Vidarbha's competitive setup, Hinge credits captain Akshay Wadkar's leadership and the power of unity within the team.

Vidarbha's Tight Knitted Environment and VCA Role

Praful Hinge praises Team Vidarbha for its abundance of talent and competitive spirit, which thrives on strong bench strength and a highly supportive environment.

"We know our role(in the Vidarbha team). The captain Akshay Wadkar is very encouraging and pushes everybody. Apart from that, our biggest strength is that we play as a unit, that's the main mantra for our success."

Hinge's cricketing emergence has been sporadic in the domestic circuit with just a handful of matches, but the real impetus came in the Vidarbha Pro T20 League. The VCA-organized T20 tournament saw Hinge picking 8 wickets in 6 matches for NECO Master Blaster, who were the eventual champions. For Praful, the crowd was a major shock!

"I was shocked to see 20 to 25 thousand and more people in the final. While travelling to the stadium, the number of cars and people at the stadium was massive. We were the Champions and that moment was special."

The Varun Aaron Impetus

With 10 First Class matches and 27 wickets in them, Praful's trajectory is a promising one. But his move to SRH had a major impetus in November last year. Just after a match against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji, Praful got a call from Varun Aaron, for a trial with SRH.

"The Ranji match against Tamil Nadu was Live on Television. After finishing, he called me to come to SRH trial. I executed the plans properly at the trial and maybe they liked me there."

His tally of 5 wickets in that match against Tamil Nadu was the best return last season. His chances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali was just a solitary match, while he played five Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, picking 5 wickets in total. But the trial was excellent and that sealed the deal.

"At the trial, Varun bhaiya was asking me to execute certain things, and I did them well. My trial was pretty good and I was happy the way it went."

The auction moment was magical, and Praful's happy that his parents were all in smiles after Hyderabad picked him.

"I was hopeful about selection. Fortunately, SRH picked me and that has been the best moment of my life so far. There is nothing better than making your parents happy and that was special."

Undaunted by missing the 2025 IPL auction, Hinge doubled down on discipline, punctuality, respect, gear, and self-belief, lessons from youth.

"I was not disappointed when my name was not picked in the IPL auction in 2024 (IPL mega auction). I knew that hard work will give me results. I never regret anything and I work double for it. I am punctual and that is an important part of discipline for me. I like to respect all things, like cricketing gears and maintain little things."

The Inspiration named Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav, a Ranji dressing-room mentor, inspires him deeply. The former India bowler has been an inspiration for many, and the Vidarbha youngster has been engrossed in the journey of his senior pro, who went to the top from absolute nothing.

"Umesh Yadav's journey inspires me. When I shared dressing room with him, I learned a lot of things. He used to share a lot of stories of his journey, and whenever he used to tell his stories, lagta thaa ki inke jaisa hi banna hain (always wanted to be like him). The way he speaks is amazing. He reached great heights despite having nothing, and that's inspiring."

'I relish the Challenge'

At SRH, with its pack of quicks, Hinge is pumped. Although Hinge will be competing for a place with many veterans of IPL, he remains positive about learning a lot from them.

"I like playing under challenge and competitions, and SRH have a lot of fast bowlers, so I am relishing it already."

He eyes wisdom from seniors like Jaydev Unadkat, and Harshal Patel. Varun Aaron, as SRH bowling coach, is another important factor who will have a key role to play as well.

Off the field, Hinge stays active with travel, friends, and badminton. He has simple wishes in his life and says 'I can't stand still, always like to keep myself busy."

As SRH gears up for IPL 2026, Praful Hinge embodies the grit of Indian domestic cricket, poised to learn, compete, and make his mark where 'Talent meets Opportunity'.