Hinge, 24, was playing only his second T20 match in senior cricket and struck with his first ball to remove the in-form Sooryavanshi, and when he nabbed two more later in the over, he became the first bowler in the history of IPL to take three wickets in the first over of an innings. He also dismissed the RR captain Riyan Parag in his second over to finish his first spell with figures of 3-0-18-4, with 13 dot balls.

“I had manifested this, I think I had written it somewhere last year that the first match I play, I will take four or five wickets,” Hinge said after winning the player of the match. “I wanted to dominate as much as possible in the powerplay.

“I started playing cricket at the age of 13. I didn’t initially know what leather ball cricket is. But, I told my father to enrol me in a club and he took me there and that’s how I started my cricket. I want to dedicate this award to my family.”

Hinge said he was most happy after taking Sooryavanshi’s wicket. “I had told some people that I would dismiss him with a bouncer. I just wanted to dismiss him on the first ball; that was the plan. The bowling coach Varun Aaron helped me a lot”

Hinge made his first-class debut for Vidarbha in October 2024 and was a regular fixture in the last Ranji Trophy, picking up 16 wickets in 11 innings at an average of 26.37. His only T20 was against Andhra in December 2025 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy when he took 1 for 23. His T20 stock went up in the inaugural edition of the Vidarbha Pro T20 League last year, when he was a vital contributor to Neco Master Blasters’ title charge.

Hinge can be a nippy pace bowler and makes good use of his lanky frame. He started playing cricket around the age of 13 and has openly talked about Pat Cummins, his regular SRH captain, being his idol and wanting to share the dressing room with him. Hinge has also been inspired by Umesh Yadav, his Vidarbha senior, with whom he opened the bowling on T20 debut.

Hinge has overall played 10 first-class matches for 27 wickets and six List A games for five wickets.