A couple of days before Sunrisers Hyderabad’s game against Chennai Super Kings that sealed their spot in the playoffs, their pacers Eshan Malinga and Praful Hinge had checked-in unannounced at the MRF Pace Foundation guest house in Chennai where young fast bowlers from across the country are lodged for the off-season camp. It was a throwback of sorts for the two pacers who have hogged the limelight in IPL 2026, where they sat across the table and shared breakfast and lunch. Three years ago, they were in the Foundation house, taking early steps into their cricketing career. It is where they got a window to what it takes to be fast bowlers at the elite level – eating right food, having a diet plan and training methods.
The notable miss on that day was Sakib Hussain, the 21-year-old tear away pacer from Bihar, who now has 15 wickets this IPL at an average of 23. Three years back, a scout had taken notice of him in Gopalganj and had sent him to MRF Pace Foundation for selection trials. “He had raw pace, which was enough to catch the eye,” the academy’s chief coach M Senthilnathan tells The Indian Express. “He was impressive. And probably a little bit injury prone as well, because of the action he had. He was falling too much at the crease and his head will collapse. Because of that there was lateral reflection, which could lead to back injuries,” Senthilnathan adds.
In the months that followed, they ensured his action was smooth and stabilised without compromising the most important aspects of his bowling – the arm speed and body. And once that began falling in place, he was sent as a net bowler to CSK, where a brief stint ended with a back stiffness. In 2024, he was be part of Kolkata Knight Riders title winning squad, but all the while brick by brick he was building miles behind his legs. This season, with Varun Aaron taking over as SRH bowling coach, that the former India pacer turned towards Sakib wasn’t surprising. For during his long stint at the academy, Aaron himself has seen the devolvement of the pacer.
“His arm-speed is really quick. He may not look quick, but when you face him because of the arm-speed, he has always had the tendency to hurry the batsmen. And he also has a very good yorker. Now, he has developed the slower one, which is again very hard to pick up with his action. He is only going to grow from here,” Senthilnathan says.
Alongside Sakib, Hinge also became talk of the town on his IPL debut, where he picked up three wickets in his first over. Within 12 hours, his Instagram followers rose from 4000 to 4 lakh.
Spotted during the age-group trials, the Vidarbha pacer has come through the ranks in the academy, where he overcame a back injury early on. Last Ranji season, as Senthilnathan watched on as Tamil Nadu coach, Hinge ran through the team in Coimbatore before embracing his coach with a warm hug at the end of the day.
“When he arrived, we had to tweak his action a bit. We knew his capability, but he was just coming through a four-month rehab process. So it was one step at a time for him. We gradually built his load, thrusting him in the Under-23 before putting him in Ranji. Like Sakib, he was young then. Pacers body develop only when they reach 23. Between 18-22 we made him physically strong,” Senthilnathan says.
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In both Sakib and Hinge, Senthilnathan believes the work they put on during the off-season is what has helped them. When they joined the academy, a nutritionist ensured they consumed rich food. Twice a week, a report would be sent based on tests. But, there is a word of caution that the coach throws around. “Whichever format you play, the first season is easy because you are an unknown quantity. Next IPL, teams will come prepared for them. If they can do reasonably well next year, it will be huge. They have to work even harder now.”
It is not just the two Indian duo who have a connect with the academy. Malinga, the Sri Lankan pacer, who has played all 14 matches so far and has 19 wickets too in part of the list. Sent to the foundation by Sri Lanka Cricket’s exchange programme, spent three months before his international career kick-started. “When he arrived, it was mostly fine-tuning – areas to bowl and including variations. I feel we haven’t seen him bowl like an express. He is capable of clocking above 140kmph consistently,” Senthilnathan says.
