MOHALI, Monday – England’s rising star Sam Curran claimed the first hat-trick of this season’s Indian Premier League to help his side Kings XI Punjab beat Delhi Capitals by 14 runs on Monday.
Curran returned figures of 4-11 in just 2.2 overs of medium-pace bowling as Delhi lost seven wickets for eight runs and were bowled out for 152 in their chase of 167 in Mohali.
The 20-year-old Curran, who was bought by Punjab for $1 million (890,000 euros) in the Twenty20 auction in December, also hit 20 off 10 deliveries while opening the batting in place of Chris Gayle, as Kings XI made 166 for nine. “Just came out here trying to impress. Luckily we managed to scratch a score above 150 and the bowlers were superb,” he said after receiving the man of the match award.
“I have opened in school cricket but this is probably the first time in senior cricket,” added Curran, a left-arm medium pacer and a left-handed batsman.
He then removed Colin Ingram, caught at long-off for 38. But Curran stole the show, and the match, with his innings-ending hat-trick. He had Harshal Patel caught off the last delivery of his second over for nought and then came back to bowl Kagiso Rabada and Sandeep Lamichhane, both on zero, and end the Delhi innings in 19.2 overs.
Curran was singled out as a “game changer” by Virat Kohli after England beat visiting India 4-1 in a test series last year.
Indian paceman Mohammed Shami complimented Curran with two wickets, including the dangerous Rishabh Pant, who top-scored with 39, as Delhi’s batting imploded.
Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin, who was slammed for his controversial ‘Mankad’ dismissal of England batsman Jos Buttler in an IPL game last week, also took two wickets. – AFP
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