Firsts in IPL | Hattrick, Five-Wicket Haul & Century

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The Indian Premier League began in 2008 and, since then, has seen a lot of stuff. This includes a number of hat tricks, centuries, fifties, five-wicket hauls, etcetera. There have been numerous Orange Cap as well as Purple Cap Holders since we are already done with 16 IPL seasons as of now.
But in this article, we will take a look at the first! Yes, the first hattrick, the first century, the first five-wicket haul, with a closer look at the first Purple and Orange Cap holders. This list will show endless possibilities that you can hope for, during your online IPL betting endeavour.

The Firsts in IPL | Hattrick, Century, Five Wicket Haul, Orange & Purple Cap Holders

Since its inception, IPL has seen many firsts. But in this section, we have closed in on five such aspects to delve deeper into; these are:
⦁ The first IPL hattrick
⦁ The first IPL century
⦁ The first IPL five-wicket haul
⦁ The first orange cap holder
⦁ The first purple cap holder

The First IPL Hattrick:

The first-ever IPL hattrick was taken by Chennai Super Kings’ Laxmipathy Balaji.
⦁ He achieved the feat against the Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) in the inaugural season.
⦁ The match was being played in CSK’s own backyard, but the team was being threatened by a resurgent Punjab.
⦁ Shaun Marsh had already scored a fifty, and now Irfan Pathan was also on the charge, but Balaji had other ideas.
⦁ Balaji not only removed Marsh, but also came back in the final round to seal the deal for CSK.
⦁ He dismissed the dangerous Pathan, Piyush Chwala, and VRV Singh off three successive deliveries to achieve the first-ever IPL hattrick.

The First IPL Century:

It was Kolkata Knight Riders Brendon McCullum who scored the maiden century of IPL history.
⦁ Interestingly, it came in the first-ever IPL match, which was played between KKR and RCB in Bangalore.
⦁ KKR had batted first, and such was McCullum’s knock that RCB were out of the match in the first hour.
⦁ McCullum went on to slam 158 off just 73 deliveries and become the first-ever IPL centurion.

The First IPL Five-Wicket Haul:

Today, no Pakistan player plays in the IPL, but interestingly, the first-ever IPL five-wicket haul was taken by Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir.
⦁ He achieved the feat against the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2008 in Jaipur.
⦁ He registered stupendous figures of 6/14. Here, he managed to clean up four of his dismissals.
⦁ Such was his opening assault that CSK were reduced to 11/3 at one stage.
⦁ Tanvir came back and removed Albie Morkel, who was the top scorer for CSK with 42 runs.
⦁ In between, he took two catches as well.
⦁ Even after so many years, this is still the second-best individual figure by a bowler in IPL history.

The First Orange Cap Holder:

The first orange cap went to Shaun Marsh, who went on to account for 616 runs in the inaugural season in 2008.
⦁ This would become his highest-ever tally, and he would never come closer to such a performance ever during his nine seasons of the tournament.
⦁ An unknown entity in India, he set the league on fire with five fifties and one hundred.
⦁ By the time he was done, he had helped his team reach the semi-finals of the inaugural IPL.
⦁ However, he scored 23 as the team was knocked out by CSK in the semi-final.

The First Purple Cap Holder:

The first purple cap went to Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir.
⦁ He picked up 22 wickets in 11 games, with an individual best of 6/14.
⦁ Thanks to a string of sublime performances, RR went on to win their maiden IPL trophy in the inaugural season.
⦁ Tanvir never played in the IPL again as Pakistan players were banned from the tournament following the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26 of that year.

Final Thoughts:

Back in the day, IPL was just coming into existence, and players didn’t really have a plan to give their best. Most of the performances that you read above were spontaneous. Today, T20 has become a specialized discipline, and performers have specific plans for the shortest format.
Today’s five-wicket hauls or centuries are rehearsed and strategized well in advance. Data analysts sit with the players and give them the key weaknesses of their opponent, which are very well exploited by the batters who go on to score centuries or the bowlers who go on to pick five-wicket hauls.
That’s why the first hattrick, or the first five-wicket haul in IPL will always remain special. These performances became the benchmark, inspiring the next generation to live up to.