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IPL discard bowler bags first-ever hat-trick for Odisha to create history in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Debashis Sarangi

Rajesh Mohanty [Source: @KumarBimal3/X]Rajesh Mohanty [Source: @KumarBimal3/X]

Medium pacer Rajesh Mohanty achieved a historic milestone as he registered the first-ever hat-trick for Odisha in List-A cricket. The right-arm speedster attained the feat in the ongoing encounter against Services at the KSCA cricket ground in Alur. 

Rajesh Mohanty attains historic milestone with first VHT hattrick for Odisha

After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, Odisha made the most of the seam-friendly conditions in Alur. Although Sambit Baral starred with the ball for Odisha, scalping four wickets, Rajesh Mohanty initiated the collapse with a sensational hat-trick. 

Services had a steady start to their innings as Nitin Tanwar and Sagar Dahiya blunted Odisha's new ball attack with dodged resistance. However, Rajesh Mohanty eventually drew the first blood for his team, getting rid of Dahiya in the very first delivery of the seventh over. 

He went on to dismiss Amit Shukla for a duck, setting the stage for a historic hat-trick in the high-voltage contest. As Ravi Chauhan came out to face the hat-trick ball for Services, Mohanty trapped him plumb in front of the stumps, attaining the memorable landmark. 

Although legendary figures like Debashish Mohanty and Basant Mohanty have represented Odisha in the past, none of them had a hat-trick under their belt in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. So, Rajesh Mohanty's achievement is indeed remarkable, establishing him as one of the finest fast bowling prospects to emerge from the Eastern Indian state. 

Rajesh Mohanty, the workhorse from Odisha, got ignored in IPL auction

Rajesh Mohanty was one of the 1355 players who had registered for the IPL 2026 mini auction. However, despite proving his mettle, particularly with the new ball, on umpteen occasions, he failed to grab the attention of the IPL franchises, going unsold in the showpiece event. He has had a fairly successful domestic career, though, scalping 192 wickets across 100 matches across formats.