Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) Sakib Hussain has been one of the rising stars in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). While Praful Hinge made headlines with a three-wicket first over on IPL debut, Hussain was crafty with his slower ones and picked four-fer on his debut as well. On May 22, 21-year-old Hussain got his dream wicket as he got the better of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opener Virat Kohli with a slower one. The youngster cherished Kohli’s wicket after SRH won the match by a comfortable margin of 55 runs.
“Maza toh aya (It was joy for me). Virat Kohli's wicket was a dream wicket for me,” Hussain told the broadcasters.
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After RCB bowlers were taken to the cleaners, including in-form Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, Hussain bowled into the pitch slower ones. He ended up conceding just 31 runs from his quota of four overs in a match where 455 runs were scored. He credited SRH bowling coach Varun Aaron for helping him plan for RCB.
“The plan was exactly what Varun (Aaron) bhai told us - understand the wicket and bowl according to the planning. I was just doing what was discussed,” the pacer said.
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“Because the ball was gripping a bit. So mostly I relied on my slower balls because they were holding on the surface, and that worked,” he added.
Hussain wants to improve more
Hussain’s slower ones have been hard to pick for batters. He intends to keep improving and make the batters guessing.
“Right now, my focus is only on improving more and more. The more I improve, the better it will be for the team,” said the in-form pacer.
Hussain among top 10 wicket-takers in IPL 2026
Hussain is currently SRH's second-highest wicket-taker in the season. From 10 innings, he has claimed 15 wickets at an average of 23. His economy rate is 9.07 runs per over. With Kohli’s wicket, he entered the list of top 10 wicket-takers in the season.
Hussain will be seen in action on May 27 when SRH take on the team that confirms fourth playoffs berth. The match will take place in Mullanpur and it will be Hussain's first game at the venue this season.