Who is Sakib Hussain? Bihar pacer shakes RR on IPL debut; joins Shoaib Akhtar in elite list

Sakib Hussain, a 21-year-old uncapped pacer from Gopalganj, Bihar, created history on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday against Rajasthan Royals with figures of 4 for 24.

Sakib is the seventh player in IPL history to take four or more wickets on debut, and he now also holds the joint fifth-best bowling figures in a debut game along with Ashwani Kumar. He is behind Alzarri Joseph (6/12), Andrew Tye (5/17), Shoaib Akhtar (4/11).

Sakib partnered with another SRH debutant Praful Hinge (4/34) as Sunrisers Hyderabad registered a 57-run win in Hyderabad.

Fans at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium had expected a high-scoring contest in the Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals IPL 2026 match on Monday. Instead, they saw a performance led by two debutant pacers — Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain — as SRH beat RR by 57 runs.

Best bowling figures on IPL debut

• Alzarri Joseph – 6/12 (MI vs SRH, Hyderabad, 2019)
• Andrew Tye – 5/17 (GL vs RPS, Rajkot, 2017)
• Shoaib Akhtar – 4/11 (KKR vs DC, Kolkata, 2008)
• Kevon Cooper – 4/26 (RR vs PBKS, Jaipur, 2012)
• Ashwani Kumar – 4/24 (MI vs KKR, Mumbai WS, 2025)
• Sakib Hussain – 4/24 (SRH vs RR, Hyderabad, 2026)
• David Wiese – 4/33 (RCB vs MI, Bengaluru, 2015)
• Praful Hinge – 4/34 (SRH vs RR, Hyderabad, 2026)

India players with 4-fers in their maiden IPL spell

• 4/24 - Shadab Jakati (CSK) vs DC, Johannesburg, 2009
• 4/24 - Ashwani Kumar (MI) vs KKR, Mumbai WS, 2025
• 4/24 - Sakib Hussain (SRH) vs RR, Hyderabad, 2026
• 4/29 - Paul Valthaty (PBKS) vs Deccan Chargers, Hyderabad, 2011
• 4/34 - Praful Hinge (SRH) vs RR, Hyderabad, 2026

(All of them uncapped)

Who is Sakib Hussain?

Sakib’s progress has been tracked by IPL scouts.

The Bihar pacer was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 30 lakh at the IPL 2026 auction. He was earlier signed by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL 2024 season but did not get a game and was released before the next season.

The right-arm pacer made his T20 debut for Bihar in the 2022-23 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. At the age of 17, he registered figures of 4 for 20 in his second match.

Sakib picked his first five-wicket haul in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy, taking 6 for 41 against Arunachal Pradesh.

At the IPL 2026 auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him for Rs 30 lakh, and the paceman rattled Rajasthan Royals' feared batting lineup on his debut on Monday.