Four wickets in five balls: Uncapped Indian quick takes record hat-trick in second match of WPL career

Four wickets in five balls for Nandani Sharma

Gujarat Giants were 207-6 when DC captain Jemimah Rodrigues entrusted Nandani to bowl the last over of the innings at Navi Mumbai. A seamer from Chandigarh, Nandani had debuted in the WPL in DC’s tournament opener, against the Mumbai Indians. She dismissed G Kamalini and Nicola Carey to finish with 3-0-26-2 as MI massed 195-4 and won by 50 runs.

Now, Kanika Ahuja ran a single off the first ball of the over. Kashvee Gautam hit the next ball to long-on. After Tanuja Kanwar got off the mark, Nandani took the pace off the fourth ball. Ahuja did not read the variation, left the crease, swung, and was stumped.

The next ball, pitched on the middle stump, beat Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s bat and hit the off stump. While attempting to ramp the last ball, Renuka Singh Thakur missed the line completely and was bowled to give Nandani her hat-trick.

Nandani became the fourth bowler to complete a hat-trick in the WPL. Of them, Deepti Sharma had also taken four wickets in five balls. Her 5-33 was the seventh five-wicket haul in the WPL, and the fifth-best figures, after Ellyse Perry’s 6-15, Marizanne Kapp’s 5-15, Asha Sobhana Joy’s 5-22, and Tara Norris’ 5-29.

WPL hat-tricks

Earlier in the innings, Sophie Devine smashed a brutal 42-ball 95 with seven fours and eight sixes including 32 in an over – a WPL record – off Sneh Rana. Ash Gardner, too, hit 49 in 26 balls with four fours and three sixes.