Sunrisers Hyderabad debutants dismantle Rajasthan Royals
Sunrisers Hyderabad secured a commanding 57-run victory over Rajasthan Royals on Monday night, powered by an extraordinary bowling performance from debutants Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain. Defending a formidable total of 216/6, the home side bundled out the previously undefeated Royals for 159 in 19 overs. This result marked a significant shift in the IPL 2026 standings, proving that Hyderabad’s scouting department has identified future stars capable of performing under pressure.
Praful Hinge produced a spell for the ages, claiming a triple-wicket maiden in his very first over. He removed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, and Lhuan-dre Pretorius to leave the visitors reeling at 9/5. Sakib Hussain joined the demolition soon after, cleaning up the lower middle order to finish with figures of 4/24. Their combined eight wickets effectively ended the contest within the powerplay, despite a late resistance from Donovan Ferreira.
Earlier, stand-in captain Ishan Kishan silenced critics with a blistering 91 off 44 deliveries. His innings featured six maximums and eight boundaries, providing the necessary cushion for the bowlers. Heinrich Klaasen added a steady 40, while Nitish Kumar Reddy provided late impetus with a quick-fire 28. Jofra Archer was the only bright spot for the Royals, striking on the very first ball of the match, but his efforts were eclipsed by the Hyderabad onslaught.
Historically, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has favored teams with strong spin options, but this match highlighted a rare dominance of local pace talent, much to the delight of the Orange Army.
WIth Agengy threads and Image Coutesy: ANI
