The Rajasthan Royals have evolved over the years. Once, they had great all-rounders like Shane Watson and Ravindra Jadeja and openers like Graeme Smith and Swapnil Asnodkar. These were the players who helped them win their maiden title in 2008.
But as time progressed, there was a rapid evolution, and RR went on to bring many talented batters like Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, and Jos Butter. People often think that RR is a great batting side, but they tend to forget that the franchise has many bowlers who have performed at their peak. They also top the IPL betting charts for their bowling prowess.
We are not only talking about Yuzvendra Chahal; in this article, we will take a look at four such RR bowlers who have taken hat tricks, turning the match on its head.
Five RR Bowlers Who Have Taken IPL Hat Tricks
Our list begins with Ajit Chandila, who took the first hat-trick for RR in the 2012 edition – followed by Pravin Tambe, Shane Watson, Shreyas Gopal, and the highest wicket-taker in IPL history, Yuzvendra Chahal. Will an RR bowler take an IPL hat-trick in the 2024 edition? Make predictions on an online cricket betting platform and earn exciting rewards daily during IPL.
Ajit Chandila:
One among the three disgraced IPL players of RR, Chandila was arrested in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal in 2013.
- However, by then he had already registered himself as the first bowler to pick a hat-trick for the franchise.
- He achieved the feat in the match against the now-defunct Pune Warriors India, where he took the wickets of Jesse Ryder, Sourav Ganguly, and Robin Uthappa.
- This was the first hat trick of the season and ninth overall in IPL history.
Pravin Tambe:
One of the oldest to execute an IPL hattrick, Tambe was 44 years old when he achieved the feat against KKR in 2014.
- He took the wickets of Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, and Ryan Ten Doeschate off three successive deliveries to create a sensation.
- This was the 15th overall hat-trick and the second such feat for the franchise.
- Tambe ended up with figures of 3/26, and RR won the game by just 10 runs.
Shane Watson:
Watson became the third RR player to take a hattrick, and his feat came in the same season as Tambe’s.
- In the match against SRH, he completed the feat by picking the wickets of Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, and Karn Sharma.
- He managed to take Dhawan’s wicket on the last ball of his first over and returned for his second over to remove Henriques and Sharma off the first two balls.
- Despite his act, RR ended up losing the match by 32 runs.
Shreyas Gopal:
Gopal became the fourth hattrick taker for RR in 2019 in the match against RCB at Chinnaswamy Stadium:
- He went on to take the bigwigs of RCB, picking up the wickets of Virat Kohli, Ab de Villiers, and Marcus Stoinis to complete the feat.
- Gopal used his variations well, bowling slow to Kohli and bowling flat to Stoinis.
- He ended up picking figures of 3/12 as RR won the match by 7 wickets.
Yuzvendra Chahal:
Chahal, who is currently the highest wicket-taker in IPL history, was the fifth and last person to take a hattrick for RR.
- He achieved the feat in the IPL 2022 match against KKR.
- He went on to take the wickets of Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Mavi, and Pat Cummins.
- Chahal ended up with the stupendous figures of 5/40 as RR won the match by 7 runs.
Final Thoughts:
RR’s story of evolution is on display here. Back in the day, it was Chandila who had become the first hattrick taker, and as the years progressed, their bowling line-up kept changing. Two years later, they found a new hero in Pravin Tambe, who had filled up the gap that was created by Chandila, who was arrested in 2013.
In fact, their spin dominance was at its best in these years. Just Shane Watson remains an aberration on this list, as he is the only medium pacer while the rest of the hattrick takers are all spinners.
While Chhal’s hattrick is a fitting tribute to his brilliance in the IPL, the hattricks taken by Tambe and Gopal gave a fresh lease of life to their careers. Gopal’s individual brilliance was on display as he went on to take the prize wickets of Virat Kohli, Ab de Villiers, and Marcus Stoinis in that league game against RCB. Perhaps this was the best hattrick among all five in terms of sheer quality.
