Purple Cap holder Harshal Patel consolidated his position in the leading wicket-takers list by claiming a hat-trick against defending champions Mumbai Indians on Sunday.
Harshal dismissed Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, and Rahul Chahar on three consecutive deliveries, becoming the third Bangalore bowler to take an IPL hat-trick after Praveen Kumar and Samuel Badree.
Harshal bowled the 17th over when the Mumbai batting unit was under pressure, with the required run-rate escalating with every delivery. He first plucked Hardik with an off-cutter and then disturbed Pollard's woodwork. Chahar was his third prey.
The 30-year-old Haryana player now has 23 wickets from 10 games this season including a four-wicket haul and a fifer. He finished with figures of 4/17 against Mumbai.
Harshal, Yuzvendra Chahal (3/11) and Glenn Maxwell (2/23) worked in unison, bundling out Mumbai for 111 on the Dubai surface and helping Bangalore clinch the encounter by 54 runs. Earlier, fifties from skipper Virat Kohli and Maxwell guided Bangalore to a 165-run total.
In the season opener of IPL 2021, Harshal had claimed a fifer against Mumbai, producing a death-over masterclass and becoming the first player to get a five-for against the Mumbai outfit. He had recorded 5/27 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Hat-tricks for RCB in IPL
- Praveen Kumar vs RR Bengaluru 2010
- Samuel Badree vs MI Bengaluru 2017
- Harshal Patel vs MI Dubai 2021 *
