Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Sakib Hussain delivered a dream IPL debut with a 4/24 spell against Rajasthan Royals, helping SRH win by 57 runs. His early breakthroughs shattered RR’s top order and secured him an elite list among debutants with four wickets, marking a sensational start to his IPL career and showcasing his rise from a tough background
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer Sakib Hussain couldn’t have asked for a better start to his IPL career than delivering a match-winning spell in the clash against the Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday, April 13.
Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated the Rajasthan Royals by 57 runs to record their second win of the ongoing IPL 2026. After posting a solid total of 216/6 in 20 overs, SRH bowlers bundled out for 159 in 19 overs. Parful Hinge (4/34) and Sakib Hussain (4/24) were instrumental in dismantling the RR batting lineup, sharing eight wickets between them with disciplined and incisive spells.
At one stage, the Rajasthan Royals were 9/5 in three overs, but the 118-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Donovan Ferreira (69) and Ravindra Jadeja (45) briefly revived their innings before SRH’s bowlers returned to clean up the tail and wrap up a dominant win.
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A Dream IPL Debut for Sakib Hussain
Though Parful Hinge grabbed the attention of the spectators at the Uppal Stadium and the fans around the cricketing world with his fiery spell in the opening over, Sakib Hussain made an equally strong impact with his four-wicket haul on his IPL debut.
Hussain was brought into the attack in the second over of SRH’s bowling and dismissed in-form RR opener Yashasvi Jaiswal on the fourth ball, marking his first IPL wicket in his very first over, as he immediately struck early to put the Rajasthan Royals on the back foot. Thereafter, he didn’t wicket in the second over of his powerplay.
As SRH bowlers were struggling to break the partnership between Donovan Ferreira and Ravindra Jadeja, Sakib Hussain was brought into the 15th over. On the final ball of the over, he provided another much-needed breakthrough by cleaning up Ferreira to break the dangerous partnership and swing momentum firmly back in SRH’s favour.
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In the 17th over, Sakib Hussain was brought into the attack for his final spell of the innings. He concluded it by taking two more wickets of Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi, completing a sensational four-wicket haul on his IPL debut. With his four-wicket haul on IPL debut, Sakib became just the fourth uncapped bowler to achieve this historic feat in IPL history to take a four-wicket haul on debut, joining an elite list with a match-defining performance.
Sakib Hussain and Praful Hinge are the fourth bowling pair to take four wickets each in an IPL match, highlighting a dream bowling performance for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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Sakib Hussain’s Journey to his IPL Debut
Sakib Hussain was born on December 14, 2004. He hails from a financially constrained family residing in Gopalganj in Bihar, with his father working as a farmer and a daily wage labourer. Hussain’s cricketing journey wasn’t easy, as his mother reportedly sold her jewellery to buy his first pair of shoes, showing his family’s sacrifice and support for his cricket dream.
Sakib started off his cricketing journey with a tennis ball, where he earned small sums to support his family before switching to a leather ball on the insistence of his mentors, late Tunu Giri and coach Robin Singh, who helped refine his raw pace and guide him into competitive cricket.
Sakib Hussain grabbed the local headlines when he consistently bowled at a speed of over 140 kph in the 2021 Bihar Cricket League, which eventually paved the way to domestic cricket, making his debut for Bihar in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022/23 match against Andhra in Indore in October 2022.
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In 2024, Sakib Hussain received his first IPL contract after he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 20 lakh, but didn’t play a game, and he went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction. After going unsold, the Bihar pacer continued to perform well in domestic cricket. In the Ranji Trophy 2025/26, Sakib Hussain picked 10 wickets, including his maiden first-class five-wicket haul against Arunachal Pradesh.
At the IPL 2026 mini-auction in December last year, Sakib Hussain was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 30 lakh as an uncapped player. In the fifth match of the ongoing IPL season, Sakib made his league debut for SRH and made an immediate impact with his match-winning performance against the Rajasthan Royals.
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