IPL: Hat-tricks in losing cause
A hat trick is when a bowler picks three wickets in three successive deliveries. It’s a very special moment for any bowler who dreams of such an occasion irrespective of the format. The majority of the time, a player with a hat trick ends up on the winning side. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), there have been a few instances where these feats went in vain as the bowler’s side went on to lose the game in the end.
Let’s take a look at hat-tricks in a losing cause in the IPL:
Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh’s hat trick meant little for Punjab Kings (PBKS) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2009. In Durban, RCB batted first and Yuvraj dismissed Robin Uthappa and Jacques Kallis on the final two deliveries of the 12th over. Yuvraj achieved the feat by picking up Mark Boucher’s wicket on the first ball of the 14th over. RCB posted 145/9 with Yuvraj finishing with figures of 3/22 (4). PBKS got restricted to 137/7 as they lost the contest by eight runs.
Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine is the second name as his instance took place while playing for Kolkata Knight Rider (KKR) against PBKS in 2013. PBKS batted first and Narine took three wickets off consecutive deliveries in the 15th over. He got rid of David Hussey, Azhar Mahmood, and Gurkeerat Singh Mann. Narine ended his spell with figures of 3/33 (4). The Kings reached a total of 157/9 in 20 overs and then restricted the Knight Riders to 153/9 as KKR lost the game by a narrow margin of just four runs.
Shane Watson
Shane Watson’s achievement went in vain for Rajasthan Royals (RR) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2014. SRH batted first and Watson picked up Shikhar Dhawan’s wicket on the final delivery of the fourth over. He came back to dismiss Moises Henriques and Karn Sharma on the first two balls of the 17th over. Watson bowled only two overs with figures of 3/13. SRH posted 134/9 on the board while RR got bowled out for 102 as they lost the game by 32 runs.
Samuel Badree
Samuel Badree’s hat-trick for RCB was overshadowed by Mumbai Indians’ Kieron Pollard in 2017. RCB batted first and reached a total of 142/5 in 20 overs. Badree then claimed a hat-trick by picking up wickets of Parthiv Patel, Mitchell McLenaghan, and, Rohit Sharma in the third over. Badree finished his spell with figures of 4/9 (4) with one maiden. But Pollard then smashed 70 off just 47 as MI beat RCB by four wickets.
Rashid Khan
In Match 13 of the ongoing edition, Rashid’s Gujarat Titans (GT) batted first and posted 204/4 against KKR. The magician spinner Rashid Khan picked up three wickets off consecutive balls in the 17th over. He got rid of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur and finished his spell of 3/37 (4). With 29 needed off the final six deliveries, Rinku Singh stole the show by hitting five sixes in the last over as KKR won by three wickets.
