Praful Hinge recently picked former India captain Virat Kohli over MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma in the popular ‘This or That’ challenge. During an exclusive chat with Sports Yaari, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer faced a series of rapid-fire choices before naming Kohli as his ultimate favourite cricketer.
The young pacer was involved in one of IPL 2026’s most entertaining battles. Hinge and Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi faced each other three times in IPL 2026, producing a dramatic contest that included a first-ball dismissal, four consecutive sixes and a crucial wicket in the Eliminator.
Praful Hinge Picks Virat Kohli Over MS Dhoni
The rapid-fire challenge started with a choice between Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Hinge picked Abhishek before choosing Rohit Sharma over the India opener in the next round.
The contest then shifted towards MS Dhoni. Hinge picked the former Chennai Super Kings captain over Rohit Sharma and later backed him against former South Africa captain AB de Villiers and former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard.
The final choice came when the SportsYaari interviewer asked the SRH pacer to pick between Dhoni and Kohli. After briefly considering his options, he chose Kohli over Dhoni, making the former India captain the ultimate winner of the challenge.
KOHLI HAI PRAFUL HINGE KE FAVOURITE! 👑🏏
— Sports Yaari (@YaariSports) September 24, 2026
Praful Hinge reveals his picks when asked to choose between some of cricket’s biggest stars - and Virat Kohli makes the cut! 🔥
🎙️ Praful Hinge | Sports Yaari Exclusive#ViratKohli #PrafulHinge #Cricket #SportsYaari pic.twitter.com/audYvsLDy7
Praful Hinge Dismisses Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on IPL Debut
Praful Hinge and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi first faced each other on April 13, when the SRH pacer made his IPL debut. He dismissed the Rajasthan Royals opener for a golden duck with his first delivery and went on to claim three wickets in the opening over, becoming the first bowler to achieve the feat in IPL history.
He finished the match with figures of 4/34. The pacer later revealed that he had specifically planned to bowl a bouncer to Sooryavanshi and target him from the first delivery. He also credited Varun Aaron for helping him prepare for the contest.
The battle took a completely different turn when the two met again on April 25. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi responded by hitting four consecutive sixes against Praful Hinge in the opening over, scoring 24 runs from it.
The Rajasthan Royals youngster then scored 103 runs from 36 balls to register the third-fastest hundred in IPL history. He also maintained a strike rate of more than 330 against Hinge across their meetings.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Hits Century Before Eliminator Showdown
Their rivalry continued in the IPL Eliminator on May 27. Sooryavanshi smashed 97 runs from just 29 balls, including 12 sixes, and looked set to take the game away from SRH. The bowler, however, produced the key breakthrough before Sooryavanshi could reach his century.
Hinge explained that he had planned his approach against Sooryavanshi, but the young batter was not playing according to those plans. He said his only focus was to dismiss him as quickly as possible and added that there was no conversation between them beyond a brief greeting and handshake.
“I had made plans, but he wasn’t playing according to those plans. He was playing his own game. So, the only thing was to get him out as quickly as possible. There was nothing else, just a ‘hello, bye’ and a handshake. That was it,” Hinge said.
SOORYAVANSHI KE SAAMNE SRH KE SAARE PLANS FAIL! 🔥🏏
— Sports Yaari (@YaariSports) September 24, 2026
Hinge opens up on the intense contest against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and how SRH’s plans played out against the young batter.
🎙️ Praful Hinge | Sports Yaari Exclusive#PrafulHinge #VaibhavSooryavanshi #SRH #Cricket… pic.twitter.com/vCfCVmo62V
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