Madhya Pradesh left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya ran riot with the ball on the final day of his side's sixth Ranji Trophy 2024 game against Baroda at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Monday, February 12. Former Delhi pacer, Khejroliya registered his name in the record books with a mind-boggling spell taking 5/34 as MP won by an innings and 52 runs. Khejroliya's fifer included a hat-trick as after going wicketless in his first 11 overs, he took four wickets in as many deliveries.
Khejroliya accounted for wickets of Shashwat Rawat, Mahesh Pithiya, Bhargav Bhatt and Akash Singh on the second, third, fourth and fifth deliveries of the 95th over of Baroda's second innings after MP enforced follow-on on the visitors. Khejroliya became only the third bowler in the Ranji Trophy to take four wickets in four balls after Delhi's Shankar Saini and Jammu and Kashmir's Mohammed Mudhasir. The left-arm pacer also became the third MP bowler to take a hat-trick in the Ranji Trophy and overall 80th player in India's domestic red-ball competition.
Bowlers to take four wickets in 4 balls in Ranji Trophy
Shankar Saini - (DEL vs HP) in 1988
Mohammed Mudhasir - (J&K vs RAJ) in 2018
Kulwant Khejroliya - (MP vs BAR) in 2024
Bowlers to take a hat-trick in Ranji Trophy for Madhya Pradesh
Hiralal Gaekwad - (MP vs RAJ), 1962/63
Ravi Yadav - (MP vs UP), 2019/20
Kulwant Khejroliya - (MP vs BAR), 2023/24
Khejroliya's spell came after Baroda had made a decent fightback owing to Rawat's magnificent ton. Following on after a 322-run deficit, Baroda owing to Jyotsnil Singh's 83-run knock and Rawat's century looked like overhauling MP's lead and making the home side bat again. However, the left-armer Khejroliya, who has played for Delhi, RCB and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, had other ideas as Baroda collapsed from 255/5 to 270 all out.
This was MP's third win in six matches and now are at the top of the table in Elite Group D.
