Which bowler has taken the most hat-tricks in the IPL?
Preparations for the second half of IPL 2021 are in full swing and it is that time when trivia plays a key role in giving out interesting pieces of information to fans.
One of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to bowlers in the IPL is which player has the most hat-tricks in the tournament.
Amit Mishra happens to be the answer to that question. The veteran tweaker, who plays for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the ongoing edition, has three hat-tricks to his name - the most by any bowler in the tournament since its inception.
Mishra boasts of a stellar IPL career with 166 wickets from 154 games at an average of 23.97. His first hat-trick came against the now-defunct Deccan Chargers in 2008 when he prised out Shahid Afridi, Herschelle Gibbs and Ravi Teja in consecutive deliveries.
The second time was in 2011 and this time he turned out for the Chargers and delivered a deadly spell against the Punjab Kings. He accounted for the wickets of Ryan McLaren, Mandeep Singh and Ryan Harris.
He later was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013 and picked up his third hat-trick, becoming the only player to do so when he wreaked havoc against the defunct Pune Warriors.
Mishra dismissed Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rahul Sharma and Ashoke Dinda in succession to help SRH win by 11 runs. Along with the record for most hat-tricks, the bowler is also sixth in the list of bowlers who have bowled the most number of dot balls.
Players with most hat-tricks in the IPL
Here's a quick look at the other bowlers with the most wickets in the IPL. Yuvraj Singh picked up two hat-tricks while former CSK star Makhaya Ntini, RR's Ajit Chandila and RCB's Samuel Badree had one apiece.
The interesting fact is that four of the top five players who have bagged hat-tricks in the tournament are spinners.
IPL 2021 resumes on September 19 in the UAE. It will host the rest of the league fixtures and the playoffs, with Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah being the three venues. The Delhi Capitals are the only franchise who will play three afternoon matches.