The Rarest Feat in IPL Cricket
In over 1,100 IPL matches across 17 seasons, a hat-trick — three wickets on three consecutive deliveries — has occurred fewer than 25 times. It remains one of the most celebrated and rare achievements in T20 cricket.
Complete List: Every IPL Hat-Trick
| # | Player | Team | Against | Venue | Season | Overs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Lakshmipathy Balaji](/players/lakshmipathy-balaji) | CSK | KXIP | Mohali | 2008 | 16th |
| 2 | [Amit Mishra](/players/amit-mishra) | DD | DC | Kotla | 2008 | 18th |
| 3 | [Makhaya Ntini](/players/makhaya-ntini) | CSK | KKR | Chennai | 2009 | 4th |
| 4 | [Rohit Sharma](/players/rohit-sharma) | DC | MI | Hyderabad | 2009 | 16th |
| 5 | [Yuvraj Singh](/players/yuvraj-singh) | KXIP | RCB | Dharamsala | 2009 | 9th |
| 6 | [Amit Mishra](/players/amit-mishra) | DD | KKR | Kotla | 2010 | 14th |
| 7 | [Amit Mishra](/players/amit-mishra) | DD | PWI | Pune | 2011 | 12th |
| 8 | [Ajit Chandila](/players/ajit-chandila) | RR | PWI | Jaipur | 2012 | 8th |
| 9 | [Sunil Narine](/players/sunil-narine) | KKR | KXIP | Kolkata | 2013 | 6th |
| 10 | [Shreyas Gopal](/players/shreyas-gopal) | RR | RCB | Jaipur | 2019 | 14th |
| 11 | [Sam Curran](/players/sam-curran) | KXIP | DC | Mohali | 2019 | 18th |
| 12 | [Andre Russell](/players/andre-russell) | KKR | MI | Kolkata | 2019 | 19th |
Amit Mishra: The Hat-Trick King
Amit Mishra is the only player in IPL history with three hat-tricks. The leg-spinner achieved this remarkable treble across three seasons (2008, 2010, 2011) playing for Delhi Daredevils. His ability to generate sharp turn and deceive batsmen through the air made him uniquely suited to claiming three wickets in three balls.
No other player has more than one IPL hat-trick.
Hat-Tricks by Bowling Type
| Type | Count | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Leg Spin | 5 | Mishra (3), Gopal, Chandila |
| Fast/Medium | 4 | Balaji, Ntini, Curran, Russell |
| Off Spin/Mystery | 2 | Narine, Yuvraj |
| Medium Pace | 1 | Rohit Sharma |
Leg-spinners have taken the most IPL hat-tricks, with 5 out of 12. The googly and sharp turn from leg-spinners create the deception needed to claim three successive wickets.
Hat-Tricks by Match Phase
| Phase | Count |
|---|---|
| Powerplay (1-6) | 2 |
| Middle Overs (7-14) | 4 |
| Death Overs (15-20) | 6 |
Half of all IPL hat-tricks have come in the death overs, when batsmen take high-risk shots and edges are more likely. The pressure of the final overs creates the conditions for hat-tricks.
Hat-Tricks by Season
The first two IPL seasons (2008-2009) produced five hat-tricks between them. As batsmen became more technically adept at T20 cricket, hat-tricks became rarer. IPL 2019 was an outlier with three hat-tricks in a single season.
Impact on Match Results
| Result | Count |
|---|---|
| Hat-Trick Bowler's Team Won | 9 |
| Hat-Trick Bowler's Team Lost | 3 |
75% of hat-tricks have come in matches where the bowling side won, confirming the match-changing impact of removing three batsmen in three balls.
The Near Misses
For every hat-trick taken, there are dozens of near misses — bowlers who took two wickets in two balls but were denied by a missed chance, an inside edge, or a batsman surviving an LBW appeal. The fine margin between a hat-trick and a two-wicket burst often comes down to a single centimetre or a fielder's reflexes.
Several bowlers have been on hat-trick balls multiple times in their IPL careers without converting. Jasprit Bumrah has been on a hat-trick ball at least four times without completing one. Dwayne Bravo has similarly come close multiple times. The psychological pressure of bowling a hat-trick ball — with the entire stadium aware of what is at stake — adds an element of tension that affects even the most experienced bowlers.
FAQ
Who has taken the most hat-tricks in IPL history?
Amit Mishra holds the record with 3 hat-tricks in IPL history, all playing for Delhi Daredevils between 2008 and 2011.
How many hat-tricks have been taken in IPL history?
There have been 12 hat-tricks in IPL history across 17 seasons, making it an extremely rare event occurring roughly once every 90 matches.
Has any bowler taken a hat-trick in an IPL final?
No bowler has taken a hat-trick in an IPL final match.
Who took the first hat-trick in IPL history?
Lakshmipathy Balaji took the first-ever IPL hat-trick for Chennai Super Kings against Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2008.
Can a hat-trick span two overs in the IPL?
Yes. A hat-trick can span two overs if a bowler takes the last wicket of one over and the first two of the next, or vice versa.