Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 24 : Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) young fast bowler Praful Hinge opened up on his meeting with the team's designated captain Pat Cummins, someone the 24-year-old pacer considers his idol.
Praful made a grand entry at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. On his IPL debut, against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Praful delivered a match-winning performance against RR's power-packed batting lineup. Praful claimed the wickets of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (golden duck), Druv Jurel (duck), Lhuan-dre Pretorius (duck) and opposition captain Riyan Parag (4), to finish with dread debut figures of 4/34 in 4 overs. SRH eventually won the match by 57 runs.
Speaking on 'JioStar Press Room', SRH's 'fearless prodigy' Praful Hinge shared that meeting his idol Pat Cummins for the first time was a special moment. He expressed his admiration and explained how he has closely followed Cummins' bowling and routines. In response, Cummins was supportive and encouraged him, offering guidance and help during training, which greatly boosted Praful's confidence, the bowler said.
"When he came into the camp for the first time, I was very happy because I was seeing him live, face to face, for the first time. I told him, 'Pat, I am your big fan.' He responded, 'Oh, nice, good to hear.' I told him that since I started playing cricket, I have followed his bowling, watched all his videos, and observed what he does in Test matches, following every ball. Whatever he does in terms of bowling and routines, I try to learn from that. He said, 'Great, let's keep working together. When you are bowling, I will be there and help you out.' That gave me huge encouragement," Praful said.
Praful said he had visualised taking 3-4 wickets in a match, though he didn't expect it to happen on his debut. He credited his belief in manifestation and focused on enjoying the game. Looking ahead, Praful said his main aim is to help the team win by taking it one match at a time, preparing thoroughly and aiming to dominate every opponent.
"I had written it down that I would take 3-4 wickets in a match, but I didn't know it would happen in my debut match itself, so I am very grateful for that. I believe in manifestation, that things like this do happen. I went in thinking I would just enjoy myself, and I am glad it turned out well. Going forward, my only manifestation is to make the team win. Winning the trophy is the main focus, but we don't think too far ahead. We go one game at a time, plan for each match, perform well, and not think too much about the result. We want to dominate every team and prepare well for each and every opposition player," he said.
After the RR match, Praful also featured in SRH's match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He failed to replicate his prior heroics in the CSK match as the bowler registered figures of 1/60 in 4 overs. He didn't feature in the playing 11 against Delhi Capitals and remains to be seen if he will play against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday.
Fans can watch SRH in action against RR 7:30 PM onwards, live on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.
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