Who Took the First Hat Trick of IPL? Here’s your answer

The Indian Premier League or IPL is one of the most popular and lucrative T20 cricket leagues in the world. The league has witnessed some of the most iconic moments in cricket history, including some remarkable bowling performances. One such feat is a hat trick, where a bowler takes three wickets in three consecutive balls. In this article, we will explore who took the first hat trick of IPL and some of the most memorable hat tricks in the league’s history.

The First Hat Trick in IPL

The first hat trick in IPL was taken by Lakshmipathy Balaji, who played for the Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008. Balaji’s hat trick came against the Kings XI Punjab on May 10, 2008, in Mohali. In that match, Balaji dismissed Irfan Pathan, Piyush Chawla, and VRV Singh in successive deliveries to complete the hat trick. Balaji’s hat trick helped Chennai Super Kings secure a 18-run victory over Kings XI Punjab.

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Balaji, who was a right-arm medium-fast bowler, played a crucial role in Chennai Super Kings’ journey to the finals of the first IPL season. He finished the season with 11 wickets in 10 matches and was the team’s second-highest wicket-taker.

Most Memorable Hat Tricks in IPL

Over the years, several bowlers have accomplished the rare feat of taking a hat trick in IPL. Some of the most memorable hat tricks in the league’s history are as follows:

1. Amit Mishra: Amit Mishra, who played for the Deccan Chargers, achieved the first hat trick of IPL 2008 on May 17, 2008, against the Kings XI Punjab. Mishra dismissed Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, and Yuvraj Singh in successive deliveries to complete the hat trick. His hat trick helped Deccan Chargers secure a crucial win over Kings XI Punjab.
2. Yuvraj Singh: Yuvraj Singh, who played for Kings XI Punjab, achieved the second hat trick of IPL 2009 on May 1, 2009, against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Yuvraj dismissed Robin Uthappa, Jacques Kallis, and Mark Boucher in successive deliveries to complete the hat trick. His hat trick helped Kings XI Punjab secure a 7-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore.
3. Rohit Sharma: Rohit Sharma, who played for the Mumbai Indians, achieved the third hat trick of IPL 2009 on May 16, 2009, against the Deccan Chargers. Sharma dismissed Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, and Venugopal Rao in successive deliveries to complete the hat trick. His hat trick helped Mumbai Indians secure a 19-run victory over Deccan Chargers.
4. Samuel Badree: Samuel Badree, who played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, achieved the first hat trick of IPL 2017 on April 14, 2017, against the Mumbai Indians. Badree dismissed Parthiv Patel, Mitchell McClenaghan, and Rohit Sharma in successive deliveries to complete the hat trick. His hat trick helped Royal Challengers Bangalore secure a 4-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians.
5. Andrew Tye: Andrew Tye, who played for Kings XI Punjab, achieved the first hat trick of IPL 2018 on April 16, 2018, against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Tye dismissed Deepak Hooda, Rashid Khan, and Siddarth Kaul in successive deliveries to complete the hat trick. His hat trick helped Kings XI Punjab secure a 15-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The Most Recent IPL Hat Trick

The most recent hat trick in the IPL was taken by Yuzvendra Chahal during the 2022 season. Chahal, who was playing for the Rajasthan Royals, achieved the feat against the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 30, 2022, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Also Read: IPL Hat Trick list: Top 10 Players to Achieve the Feat

Chahal’s Hat Trick

In the 17th over of the KKR innings, Chahal bowled his leg-spinners with a lot of variation, which made it challenging for the KKR batsmen to read his deliveries. On the first ball of the over, Chahal trapped Venkatesh Iyer lbw, who was batting on 30 off 19 balls. On the next ball, Chahal bowled a googly to Nitish Rana, who completely misread it, and the ball crashed into his stumps.

Chahal was now on a hat trick, and he ran in to bowl the next delivery with a lot of enthusiasm. He bowled a full delivery to Pat Cummins, who tried to flick it towards the leg side but missed it entirely, and the ball hit his pads, leading to another lbw dismissal. Chahal completed his hat trick and became the first player in the 2022 IPL to take a hattrick.