Tushar Deshpande took the first hat-trick of the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season during Mumbai’s opening game of the season against Chandigarh at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on the second day of play on Monday (October 12).
The Indian pacer took a five-wicket haul as the hosts put themselves in a commanding position to start the season with a thumping victory.
Deshpande achieved the rare feat in the 11th over of the second innings by dismissing Arjun Asad (20 of 33), Shivam Bhambri (0 of 1), and Dipender Ajaib Kush (0 of 1). The Rajasthan Royals (RR) bowlers later completed a five-wicket haul by also dismissing Raj Angad Bawa (0 of 4) and Mohd. Arslan Khan (2 of 20). He finished with figures of 5/17 in 7 overs as Chandigarh were bowled out for just 78.
Mumbai skipper Siddhesh Lad decided to enforce a follow-on as the 42-champions registered a 351-run lead after posting a total of 429 in the first innings. Deshpande played a useful knock of 44 with the bat.
Tushar Deshpande Creates History
Deshpande’s effort marks the first-ever hat-trick in Ranji Trophy history at the iconic Wankhede Stadium by a Mumbai player or someone from an away team or in a neutral match held at the ground. This is the 143rd match held in India’s premier first-class competition at the iconic stadium since the ground was constructed, and the first match was held 52 years ago in 1974.
However, the pacer is the fourth player to take a hat-trick in Mumbai, with the previous instances coming at the Cricket Club of India’s (CCI) Brabourne Stadium and the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). All four hat-tricks in the maximum city have come while playing for the hosts. Overall, Deshpande is the 6th Mumbai player to take a hat-trick in the competition.
Ranji Trophy Hat-Tricks For Bombay/Mumbai
| Player | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| Jehangir Khot | Baroda | Braboune Stadium, Mumbai | 1943/44 |
| Umesh Kulkarni | Gujarat | Shastri Maidan, Anand | 1963/64 |
| Abdul Ismail | Saurashtra | Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai | 1973/94 |
| Royston Dias | Bihar | Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, Patna | 2023-24 |
| Shardul Thakur | Meghalaya | Sharad Pawar Academy, BKC, Mumbai | 2024-25 |
| Tushar Deshpande | Chandigarh | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 2026-27 |
This is also the first-ever Ranji Trophy hat-trick by a player against Chandigarh, which was formed in the 2019-20 season.
Meanwhile, Mumbai now has the joint-sixth most hat-tricks by a team in the competition’s history alongside Bengal. Only Karnataka (10) has seen more players achieve the feat for them