IPL hat-tricks are not very common – there have been whole seasons without them – but ever so often a bowler has an inspired session, turning a match on its head. In a pressure situation, the fall of a wicket can shift the momentum in favour of the fielding side. New batters may panic, creating an opportunity for the right bowler at the right time.
The first man to get his name on the roll of honour was L. Balaji playing for Chennai Super Kings against Kings XI Punjab in the very first IPL back in 2008. He took 5-24 in his spell.
Not to be outdone, Amit Mishra and Makhaya Ntini matched that feat that same season, against Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively.
The next season, 2009, also saw three hat-tricks. Yuvraj Singh made history by becoming the only man to do it twice, while Rohit Sharma – not known for his bowling – was the other one. It would not be until 2017 that a single season would see as many as three card tricks.
Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra and Ajit Chandila were the only ones to do it in 2010, 2011, and 2012, in that order. Then, after a relative flurry of two hat-tricks in each 2013 and 2014, none was achieved in 2015, 2018 or 2020.
Doing a hat-trick is fine, but conceding runs can undo some of the good work. In that respect, Samuel Badree deserves special mention. Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Mumbai Indians in 2017, not only did he take four wickets including a hat-trick, but he only conceded nine runs in the process, the most economical of all the bowlers on the list.
The most recent man to achieve this feat was Bangalore paceman Harshal Patel, who would go on to win the Purple Cap in September 2021, against Mumbai. In the 16th over of the innings he dismissed Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, and Rahul Chahar in successive balls to join the elite club. Harshal went on to win the Purple Cap that season.