There are very few sights in cricket more adrenaline pumping than a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls. A hat-trick is a rare but game-changing moment in a match. As the game of cricket has been evolved over the ages, bowling as an activity has become more and more demanding. The modern age batsmen with their incredible power and remarkable range, are a headache to even the best of bowlers. It takes a lot to be a successful bowler these days and in such dire conditions, pick up hat-trick is a highly laudable achievement.
Over the 12 seasons of the IPL, 19 Hat-tricks have graced the tournament with the latest being Shreya Gopal against RCB in ongoing season 12 of IPL.
1 .Lakshmipati Balaji (CSK, 2008) – 1
Lakshmipati Balaji, in the league’s inaugural edition, became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the history of IPL. Playing for his home team Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk in Chennai against Kings XI Punjab. It was an eventful final over of the innings with Punjab requiring 19 off the final four deliveries when Balaji turned the game on by dismissing Irfan Pathan, Piyush Chawla and VRV Singh.
2. Amit Mishra (DD, 2008, 2011, 2013) – 3
Mishra has been one of the most successful bowlers in the history of the league. He is the only bowler to record a hat-trick of hat-tricks in the editions played so far. His leg-spin has been his major weapon to deceive batsmen by a fare distance. He recorded his first hat-trick in the inaugural season itself, playing for Delhi Daredevils.
3. Makhaya Ntini (CSK, 2008) – 1
It was the third hat-trick in the league’s inaugural season and first by an overseas player, that was witnessed in the game Between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. It was also second of his kind taken by a CSK bowler after Balaji did in the match against Punjab. It was a hat-trick that went unnoticed given that it took place between two spells.
4 .Yuvraj Singh (KXIP, 2009, 2009) – 2
His exploits on the field with the bat and the ball are known to everyone but the bowling skills that enabled him his hat-trick in the history of IPL was something that amazed the man himself. It was way back in 2009 when IPL was first played on the foreign soil in South Africa. It was in Kingsmead, Durban that Yuvraj dismissed RCB’s Robin Uthappa and Jacques Kallis on the final balls of 12th over and later on the first delivery of his next over, he trapped Mark Boucher to complete his Maiden IPL hat-trick.
5. Rohit Sharma (DC, 2009) – 1
It has been the story of the IPL that it is certain for the uncertain to happen. Known for his exploits with the bat, Rohit Sharma did something unusual from his abilities and helped himself to inflict a hat-trick in 2009 edition of IPL in a game against his hometown team Mumbai Indians.
6. Praveen Kumar(RCB, 2010) – 1
This was the only hat-trick to be taken in the third edition(2010), of IPL. The honors were done by the RCB’S bowler, Praveen Kumar who did wonders for his team in the game against Rajasthan Royals. He became the sixth bowler to do so and fifth Indian to inflict a hat-trick in an IPL match.
7. Ajit Chandila (RR, 2012) – 1
This was the first hat-trick taken in 2012 edition of IPL when Ajit Chandila became the first uncapped Indian to do so in an IPL game. Chandila, who has booked for charges of match-fixing in the next edition to follow, showed much promise with his ability to spin the ball. He was one of the Indians who bowled in the powerplay overs. Playing for Rajasthan Royals, he took a hat-trick in a game against Pune Warriors India in the first over of the match.
8. Sunil Naraine (KKR, 2013) – 1
Sunil Naraine became the first bowler to inflict in the 2013 IPL season. He announced his arrival in a fashionable way in the cricket arena by picking first hat-trick for the Kolkata Knight Riders in a game against Kings XI Punjab.
9. Pravin Tambe (RR, 2014)– 1
This was the first hattrick in the seventh edition of the game and second in all for the Rajasthan Royals as the Pravin Tambe became the ninth bowler to take a hat-trick in the history of IPL. In a game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, the veteran leg spinner showed his class as he finished with the figures of 4/26 in his quota of four overs.
10.Shane Watson(RR, 2014) – 1
In the seventh edition of IPL, the lads from Rajasthan accounted to make hat-tricks for more than once as the then skipper Shane Watson took another hat-trick for the Royals in the same edition after Pravin Tambe.
11. Axar Patel (KXIP,2016) – 1
In 2014, facing the table toppers Gujarat Lions and defending a low score of 154, Kings found themselves in a spot of before came to their rescue. He turned the match on its head by bowling a game-changing spell as he inflicted a
Split hat-trick first for Punjab in that IPL.
12. Samuel Badree (RCB, 2017) – 1
Playing his first match for his franchise in the tenth edition of IPL, Samuel Badree took his first hat-trick in IPL games.It was a low scoring game but Badree’s spell with the ball wasn’t quite enough for the mighty Mumbai to cease them from victory.
13. Andrew Tye (GL, 2017) – 1
It was the second hat trick of the season and first from6any bowler from Gujarat Lions squad. This was the debut match for Andrew Tie in the history of IPL and did unveil his magic for his side Gujarat Lions as he finished with the match-winning figures 5/17 which also included a hat-trick in his first ever IPL encounter.
14.Jaydev Unadkat (RPS,2017) – 1
He was among the leading wicket-takers in IPL-10 that even featured a valuable hat-trick in a game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He needed to defend the 13 runs off the last over and to everyone’s surprise, he didn’t concede a single run.
15.Sam Curran (KXIP, 2019) – 1
Sam Curran in his debut season, bagged the first hat-trick of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, during KXIP clash against Delhi Capitals. The English – all-rounder cleaned up the Delhi Capitals tail in his death overs spell to bundle them out for 152 runs and help the hosts get the victory by 14 runs.
16.Shreyas Gopal (RR, 2019) – 1
Shreyas Gopal removed Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Marcus Stoinis to claim his maiden IPL hattrick during a rain-hit fixture between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Gopal’s hat-trick was the second of ongoing IPL 2019 after Sam Curran’s hat-trick.
Cover Credits: IPLT20.com
