IPL 2019: Sam Curran becomes youngest player to pick up a hat-trick in the tournament

What's the story?

Sam Curran became the 15th bowler - and the youngest - to pick up a hat-trick in the IPL, during the KXIP vs DC match at PCA Stadium, Mohali on Monday. His heroics helped KXIP register a thrilling 14-run win over Delhi, despite looking down and out at one stage.

The background

Curran was bought by Kings XI Punjab in this year's edition for Rs. 7.20 crore. The high price he commanded was down to his impressive returns in his debut year in international cricket, where he contributed significantly to England's wins over India and Sri Lanka.

Before the match against DC yesterday, Curran had picked up two wickets in the one match he had played - against Rajasthan Royals.

The heart of the matter

Kings XI Punjab posted a modest total of 166 for 7 in 20 overs while batting first. Delhi Capitals looked well on course for a victory with four overs left in their innings, but lost their last 7 wickets for just 8 runs to be bowled out for 152.

Curran proved his worth with the ball by dismissing the dangerous Colin Ingram as well as Kagiso Rabada, and then picking off Sandeep Lamichhane to hand Punjab a stunning 14-run win.

Curran finished with figures of 4 for 11 and was named as the man of the match for his all-around performance. With this effort, he also became the youngest to pick up a hat-trick in the IPL.

14 bowlers had taken a hat-trick in the IPL before Curran. Amit Mishra has taken a hat-trick three times and Yuvraj Singh twice, while Makhaya Ntini, Praveen Kumar, Rohit Sharma, Ajit Chandila, Sunil Narine, Praveen Tambe, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Shane Watson, Axar Patel, Samuel Badree, Andrew Tye and Jaydev Unadkat have picked up one each.

What's next?

Curran's next match will be against Chennai Super Kings on 6th April; the team is unlikely to leave him out of the playing XI for the next few matches. Kings XI Punjab are currently on 2nd place in the points table with 6 points, and would look to move to first with a win over CSK.