CPL: List of hattricks in the history of the tournament
The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is among the most dazzling and highly-sought after cricketing competitions by fans and players alike. The unique blend of glamour and cricket in the CPL make it the ultimate epitome of entertainment without the slightest of compromises on the quality of the sport.
The CPL has had its fair share of captivating and exhilarating moments over the years - ranging from blazing cameos and extraordinary catches to last-over cliffhangers, barely believable bowling figures and fiery duels between cricketers.
In this article, we take a stroll down the memory lane and reminisce the moments when the cricketing fraternity witnessed hat-tricks in the CPL.
1. Rashid Khan spins a web with a trio of googlies in CPL 2017
The Afghan stalwart's exploits with the ball are well-renowned but this is a tale from the time before Rashid Khan really lured the limelight towards his world-beating leg-spin prowess.
Rashid Khan became the first-ever bowler to scalp a hat-trick in the CPL. He achieved the feat while representing the Guyana Amazon Warriors in a crucial eliminator game against the Jamaica Tallawahs during CPL 2017. The Tallawahs were cruising towards an excellent first innings total after having accumulated 116 runs by the 14th over. Rayad Emrit, the Warriors skipper, decided to call-up Rashid Khan for a bowl.
1st Wicket - Andy McCarthy (14 off 8) bowled by Rashid Khan
Right-handed Andre McCarthy was batting at a strike rate of 200 and had scored 14 runs off only 7 balls. Rashid Khan hustled in with his short-stride run-up and bowled a flighted googly - enticing McCarthy to drive towards the cover region.
The batsman was beaten through the air and had his leg-stump uprooted - McCarthy was completely deceived by that renowned Rashid Khan wrong 'un.
2nd Wicket - Jonathon Foo (0 off 1) bowled by Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan was ready to pounce on the newcomer like a crouching tiger. Jonathon Foo repeated McCarthy's cardinal mistake of looking to drive a fuller delivery without reading the variation from the hand.
No prizes for guessing in cricket as Rashid Khan had Foo's stumps disturbed with the white cherry sneaking through clear daylight between bat and pad. The Afghan spin-wizard was now on a hat-trick, and one ball away from becoming the first player to bag a CPL hat-trick.
3rd Wicket - Rovman Powell (0 off 1) bowled by Rashid Khan
The hard-hitting Rovman Powell stepped into the field and was greeted by a warning from the umpire to avoid running onto the pitch. Pressure was already mounting on him and he had yet to face-up to that searing wrong'un that had already gotten the better of two of his fellow teammates.
Rashid Khan, though, had his tail up and the zingers lit up again as Rovman Powell played all around the googly - seeing his stumps get rattled in a similar fashion. The crowd went berserk as the man from Jalalabad became the first person ever to take a hat-trick in the CPL. Rashid Khan, soon, became a household name in Guyana.
2. Dre Russ wreaks havoc with a late hat-trick and the fastest CPL ton
Andre Russell, also known as Dre Russ as far as cricketing nicknames go, is always one of the key members of whatever side he plays for. His never-say-die attitude and channelled aggression bring him under the spotlight wherever he goes. Russell has played for the Jamaica Tallawahs right from the inception of the CPL in 2013.
On August 10, 2018, the Jamaica Tallawahs skipper Andre Russell won the toss and decided to field first. The decision didn't prove to be a wise one at all as the Tallawahs bowling battery copped heavy punishment at the hands of Brendon McCullum, Chris Lynn, and Colin Munro.
The opposition had already piled up a gargantuan 212 runs - clobbering and battering Tallawahs to all parts of the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad. Andre Russell decided to take the ball and bowl the last over himself.
1st Wicket: Brendon McCullum - (56 off 27) caught Rovman Powell bowled Andre Russell
Andre Russell was under the pump straightaway as Brendon McCullum struck him for a four on the very first delivery. The West Indian all-rounder followed up with a knee-high, juicy full-toss which would have been considered criminal at that stage.
But cricket is a funny game sometimes as Brendon McCullum miscued his swipe and ended up skying it straight down Rovman Powell's throat.
2nd Wicket: Darren Bravo - (29 off 16) bowled by Andre Russell
The batsmen had crossed and that brought Darren Bravo on strike for the next delivery. Another fuller delivery was served up by Dre Russ but on this occasion he nailed his wide yorker.
Darren Bravo looked to squeeze it into the off-side but only managed to drag it back onto his stumps via an inside edge. Andre Russell was on a CPL hat-trick and an eerie silence had engulfed Trinidad's Queen's Park Oval.
3rd Wicket: Denesh Ramdin - (0 off 1) caught Andy McCarthy bowled Andre Russell
Denesh Ramdin, the seasoned West Indian cricketer, strolled out to face the hat-trick ball. Andre Russell, with a change of plan, went for a slower bouncer that dug into the pitch.
Ramdin yanked it with a full-blooded pull shot but couldn't get the right elevation, and to Dre Russ' ecstasy, slammed it right towards the deep mid-wicket patroller who gobbled it with considerable ease, making Russell only the second cricketer with a CPL hat-trick.
And, as if that was not heroic enough, the West Indian bludgeoned a remarkable 40-ball ton - the fastest in CPL history - to stun the Trinbago Knight Riders and chase down a mammoth target of 224.