Which player took the only hat-trick of IPL 2022?
Picking up a hat-trick in T20 cricket is as difficult a proposition as it gets, and it is no different with regards to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Over the years, a number of bowlers have managed to achieve that rare feat and write themselves into the history books.
It all began with Lakshmipathy Balaji when he became the first to bag a hat-trick in the league when he turned out for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2008. Playing the Kings XI Punjab (as they were called back then) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, the right-arm seamer finished with returns of 5/24 and picked up a last-over hat-trick to bowl CSK to victory.
IPL 2023 is yet to see a bowler pick up three wickets in as many deliveries. Yet, given that we're not even a week into the tournament, it may not be far away. After all, there have only been three seasons in the league's 16-year history - 2015, 2018 and 2020 - that haven't witnessed an individual hat-trick.
OTD in 2008, L Balaji took the first-ever hattrick in the IPL. 🦁🔥
#WhistlePodu | #IPL2022 https://t.co/bIH6Y8dweJ
The 2022 season saw a solitary instance of a bowler achieving this feat. Who happened to do so, though?
Yuzvendra Chahal bagged the only hat-trick of IPL 2022
After a long tryst with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was signed by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of IPL 2022.
The move proved to be a masterstroke, as the Haryana leggie returned 27 wickets for the season en route to the Purple Cap. His best spell came in a run-fest against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
The Royals were asked to bat first on a batting paradise and rode on the back of Jos Buttler's sparkling 61-ball 103 to post a whopping 217/5 in their 20 overs.
In response, KKR fought fire with fire, courtesy of Aaron Finch's stunning 28-ball 58 that put the chase on track. With the score reading 178/4 in 16 overs, the Knight Riders were in cruise control to overhaul the target, with skipper Shreyas Iyer leading the charge with a masterful half-century.
bit.ly/TATAIPL-2022-30Special feat deserves special celebration! 🙌🙌
Hat-trick hero @yuzi_chahal! 👏 👏
Follow the match ▶️ bit.ly/TATAIPL-2022-30
#TATAIPL | #RRvKKR | @rajasthanroyals https://t.co/NhAmkGdvxo
That was when Chahal flipped the game on its head as skipper Sanju Samson turned to him for wickets. He first had Venkatesh Iyer stumped and conceded just two more runs before the second half of the over.
Shreyas was then trapped plumb in front for a majestic 85 as the game sprung back to life. He then had Shivam Mavi perishing to a false shot and got Pat Cummins to nick behind off the next two deliveries, completing a hat-trick and his first five-wicket haul in the IPL.
That over flipped the game on its head, and despite Umesh Yadav fighting hard, the Royals prevailed by seven runs.
Chahal began IPL 2023 in style, bagging four wickets against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) as RR coasted home to a 72-run win. He went for plenty in the game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) but picked up a wicket that took him past Lasith Malinga in the list of all-time wicket-takers in the league.
Time will tell if Chahal can pick up another hat-trick and join the exclusive company of bowlers to have picked up multiple hat-tricks in the tournament's history. Only Yuvraj Singh and Amit Mishra have done so, with the latter achieving the feat thrice.
Which bowler do you think will pick up a hat-trick in IPL 2023? Let us know in the comments section below!
Also read: 3 reasons why KKR signing Sudip Kumar Gharami as Shreyas Iyer's replacement for IPL 2023 will be the right move