New Delhi, April 14 (IANS) Praful Hinge had no clue he was carrying a stress fracture. It was only in March 2023, after being selected for a stint at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, that physio Naveen Babu PK broke the news to him – a severe L4 fracture on the left side of his lumbar spine.
Six to eight months of rehab followed, and for Hinge, a young fast bowler from Nagpur, it felt like staring at the end of the road. Fast forward to nearly three years later, and Hinge was steaming in at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, after being handed a debut by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
What followed was the stuff of IPL folklore – with his tall height, clocking above 140 kmph, hitting the deck hard, and extracting steep bounce which few could do, Hinge ripped through Rajasthan Royals by picking four wickets in his first two overs. Three of them – including having teen prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi top-edging to keeper on the very first ball – came in a dream opening over, leaving everyone in a trance.
From fearing he might never get to bowl again to dismantling one of the tournament’s most feared batting units, Hinge’s spell was a reminder of how quickly fortunes can flip. Fans expecting fireworks from RR’s batters instead witnessed Hinge and fellow debutant Sakib Hussain wreck them with twin four-fers.
In Chennai, Naveen Babu, the foundation’s physio since 2011, missed the first over entirely. By the time he switched on the TV, the damage was already done. “I felt very bad that I didn’t watch it. But when I saw that it was something which none of the bowlers did in the last 19 years, I was stunned.
“He was telling me even before the IPL began that, ‘Sir, if I play in this IPL, I will make sure to get my name in the books.’ That is his mindset and shows the gritty nature he has. He never gives up, even when facing his worst phase or when he didn’t get many chances after injury. I don’t have words actually to describe this moment of happiness,” recalled Naveen Babu in a free-wheeling conversation with IANS.
At Hinge’s home, his father Prakash sensed he was on the cusp of something extraordinary. Hinge was supposed to debut against Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh, but a change in plans meant Jaydev Unadkat was slotted in as the impact player. Fate, though, had reserved a bigger stage and a louder roar from SRH’s fans bathed in orange for his arrival.
“These kinds of things happen in matches, as per the situation and management, so we weren’t too concerned. But yesterday, when he bowled the first ball, it was jabardast (stupendous). When he bowled the second ball to take out Dhruv Jurel, I sensed he will do something special. After that, he got another wicket (of Lhuan-dre Pretorious) and soon, he had three scalps in the first over and the mahaul (atmosphere) became a little different,” said Prakash.
Usman Ghani, head coach of Vidarbha, Hinge’s state team, was understandably chuffed for the youngster, who found Riyan Parag’s edge with an away-going delivery to get his fourth scalp. “He was working hard for an opportunity, and I am very happy that he made it count.
“He did well for us and that’s why the scouts who were keeping tabs on him were very happy. He should now carry on with this momentum, as at the end, this is a batter’s game. But then him picking four wickets and that too of Sooryavanshi is a very great effort,” he said.
On the insistence of former India pacer Prashant Vaidya, now director of VCA’s Cricket Academy, Hinge applied for the MRF Pace Foundation intake in 2023. What was meant to be a career-defining step turned into a gut punch – the diagnosis of a severe stress fracture left the youngster shattered.
“I told him only one thing – once you finish your rehab, I can assure you that you won’t develop the same injury again in your career. We worked towards that goal and he was so dedicated – like he said, ‘I won’t go back to my hometown till I finish my rehab and bowl the first ball.’ That was his determination and he carried out his whole recovery process for almost six months and then progressively loaded him into bowling.
“Then, he improved very well and went to play in the domestic season and had good performances there. Before the 2024/25 season, Hinge had another injury – osteitis in the groin and went through rehab again. Since then, he’s unstoppable,” recalled Naveen Babu.
Hinge’s rehab involved adequate rest, aqua and strength work, tailored fitness schedule and a complete biomechanical breakdown, followed by a rebuild. Ramji Srinivasan, former India strength and conditioning coach and a key person at the foundation, explained the nitty-gritty of Hinge’s recovery.
“We didn’t rush through things and were very meticulous in the process. Varun (Aaron, current SRH pace bowling coach and ex-India pacer) and I talked a lot in understanding his running mechanics, bowling mechanics, pre-delivery stride, back foot and front foot landing, and the involvement of torque.
“Lots of things were discussed and designed bespoke for him. He is a very diligent, very dedicated and very gritty boy. During that injury phase, there was a lot of self-doubt in him and whether he’ll play at all. But he recovered, played and followed the schedule regularly, even till the last Ranji Trophy game this year. I remember Hinge told Varun that, ‘Just one chance, sir. If I get that, I will take care of it’,” he said.
The MRF Pace Foundation has been running since 1987 and builds raw fast bowlers from the ground up in both fitness and technique. Accommodation, flights, physiotherapy, yoga, coaching, DEXA body composition scans, and adequate nutrition – not a rupee is charged from the pacers. ‘From socks to cap,’ as M Senthilnathan, the foundation’s cricket affairs head, puts it.
Senthilnathan was filled with joy on seeing Hinge, as well as previous trainees Sakib and Eshan Malinga shine in Hyderabad. The effect of being under the legendary Glenn McGrath, the foundation’s head coach, rubbed well on Hinge, felt Senthilnathan. McGrath’s own former trainer, Kevin Chevell, also worked on Hinge’s conditioning last year.
“Glenn’s part is that he teaches mentally about how to handle pressure on the field because mostly people talk to him about all these things. But on the field, a bowler has to fight his own battle, as he is on his own there.
“So, how to control your mind, how to come out of that situation even if he is put under pressure, bouncing back after a good shot was played by the batter or how to make a come back under pressure – these are the kind of important things which definitely have played a big part for Hinge while being under Glenn McGrath,” he said.
In June 2024, as part of the MRF Pace Foundation’s annual exchange programme with Cricket Australia’s High Performance Centre in Brisbane, Hinge spent close to a month bowling in unfamiliar conditions, reading unfamiliar pitches, and rubbing shoulders with Australian quicks.
When Hinge wrapped Aaron for a bear hug after SRH’s 53-run win, the smiles carried more than just joy. Aaron, who represented India in nine Tests and nine ODIs, knows the pain of injuries all too well. He endured three stress fractures in his back along with hamstring, groin, knee and foot injuries. For Srinivasan, Aaron’s greatest gift as SRH’s bowling coach isn’t just technical know-how – it’s empathy forged in experience.
“It was Varun’s idea to recruit Hinge and Sakib for SRH. Sakib is also very quick, but coming back to Hinge, he kept his discipline and now his progression has to be very carefully monitored. Huge credit to Varun as well – he’s open to involving a lot of technology and science in the system.
“Varun bringing science into the system rather than just going through the motions has been beneficial. Varun lives by example and is now a guiding light for Hinge. I can confidently say he knows his onions – as simple as that,” he said.
In December, while the auction played out in Abu Dhabi, Hinge was glued to it on his mobile screen inside a temple. A devotee of Lord Hanuman, he was shortlisted once before, only for injuries to derail his path. This time, SRH snapped him up at his base price of Rs 30 lakh.
On Monday, with the new ball in hand, Hinge marked his run-up and what followed is now history. “If someone has a dream debut in the IPL like this, izze zyada aur kya chahiye (what else do you need?),” said a beaming Prakash.
Before the surreal Monday night in Hyderabad, and trips to Chennai and Brisbane, Hinge grew up like countless cricket-mad kids in India – bat in hand and eyes fixed on hitting boundaries.
Bowling was nobody’s dream; it demanded strength, patience, and sacrifice. At 13, on Praful’s insistence, Prakash enrolled him at the local Gymkhana club – partly to channel his son’s restless energy during summer holidays.
When Prakash, an accountant recently retired from Maharashtra’s Electricity Board, dropped by the academy once, he found his son doing what every other boy did – hitting fours and sixes. That’s when he told Praful something that changed the way he played.
“Everyone becomes a batter, but very few become a bowler. He used to go on our terrace and try to bowl. I told him that you can try now to become a bowler. That was the only word I had and after that, he chose this path and has now made his career in bowling,” he said.
The family rallied quietly behind Praful – Prakash, his wife Alka, and daughter – a school topper from nursery to tenth standard, and buried in CA coaching – took turns dropping Praful at the academy and picking him up. It was the kind of everyday sacrifice families make, rearranging themselves around a dream without fuss.
“My daughter was the topper in merit list in the Vidarbha zone in 2014. I just told her to put in the hard work for achieving the dream she had and there was no bothering from my side. I also said the same thing to Praful – if you want to play and juggle it with studies, do it. Slowly, slowly, he made the cricket ground his home,” he said.
The progression through Vidarbha’s age-group structures was methodical for Hinge. In the 2019/20 Cooch Behar Trophy, Hinge played 11 matches and picked 36 wickets at an average of 25. In the 2023/24 CK Nayudu Trophy, Hinge featured in seven games, taking 26 wickets at an average of 19.
He made his first-class debut for Vidarbha in October 2024 and picked up 16 wickets in the Ranji Trophy at an average of 26.37. His only T20 was against Andhra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in December 2025, taking 1-23. Hinge also played a vital hand in Neco Master Blasters’ winning the inaugural edition of the Vidarbha Pro T20 League in 2025.
“After the injury, when he went to the domestic circuit, he was not getting opportunities like the other bowlers. He was in and out of the team. If you see the years he played after the injury, there was only one T20 game he played, and not many List A and red ball games, but he never gave up,” said Naveen Babu.
The work doesn’t stop for Hinge now – SRH will be back in action on Saturday evening against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings. All eyes will once again be on Hinge to recreate the magic of those two unforgettable overs now forever etched in IPL’s history.
–IANS
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