Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad debutant Praful Hinge turned a written prophecy into on-field dominance Monday, claiming four wickets to lead his side to a decisive 57-run victory over the league-leading Rajasthan Royals.

Hinge, a pacer from Vidarbha, produced a devastating opening spell that effectively ended the visitors' pursuit of 217 in the first over. Finishing with figures of 4/34, Hinge revealed that his performance was the result of a long-held ambition.

"I wrote it down somewhere that I could take four or five wickets on debut," Hinge told the broadcaster following the match. "I thought of dominating the power play. I believe in it (manifestation)."

From Humble Beginnings to Powerplay Dominance

Hinge’s initial burst of 2-0-6-4 dismantled Rajasthan's potent top order, handing the Royals their first loss in five games. The pacer reflected on a journey that began a decade ago with little knowledge of the formal game.

"At the age of 13, I started cricket. Did not know what leather ball cricket was," Hinge said. "Asked my father to join a club. But he said I was too young. Then he just took me there, and I kept playing after it. Want to dedicate this award to my family."

Hinge also noted that he had specifically telegraphed the dismissal of Rajasthan's Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. "I had told people that I would bowl a bouncer to him and get him out. I just wanted to get him out. Varun bhai (our bowling coach) helped me plan it, so thank you," he said.

A Twin Debut Success

The Sunrisers' bowling effort was bolstered by another debutant, Sakib Hussain, who mirrored Hinge’s impact with a haul of 4/24. Hussain credited bowling coach Varun Aaron for his rapid development.

"Every player hopes for a debut like this, so it feels really good. I'm very happy," Hussain said. "Varun (Aaron) bhai has been working with me for the past four years. Whatever improvement you see in my bowling is because of him. I give him full credit."

Leadership and Strategy

Sunrisers captain Ishan Kishan emphasised that the decision to field the uncapped duo was based on their visible "hunger" and consistent performance in team rehearsals.

"You also have to look how hungry your young bowlers are, how motivated they feel," Kishan said. "They especially did well in the practice matches as well, so I think this was the right move today."

However, Kishan noted the tactical challenges of leading while wearing the wicketkeeping gloves. "As a captain, I felt, you know, there was some miscommunication going on. You're not able to communicate with your bowlers what the plans are," he admitted.

Rajasthan’s Perspective

Rajasthan captain Riyan Parag acknowledged being caught off guard by the unfamiliar pair. "I haven't seen them a lot in domestic cricket," Parag said. "But they bowled beautifully. Considering the pressure of the home crowd supporting them and chanting their names, the way they bowled in the first four or five overs was really impressive."

Parag attributed the loss to early wickets and a possible strategic error regarding the toss. "I felt bowling second might have been better, probably because we lost wickets early," he said. "In hindsight, we could have bowled second, but there are a lot of things we could have done better."

With inputs from PTI