Karnataka's Shreyas Gopal.
Karnataka's Shreyas Gopal. Image Credit: X

The Karnataka spin all-rounder, Shreyas Gopal, has given huge joy to his fans and the spectators of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with a hat-trick in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 after the five-time champions earned his services during the recent two-day mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Shreyas Gopal came into the second day of the bidding war for a base price of INR 30 lakh when the CSK side raised their paddle and signed the player for the opening bid. The 31-year-old isn’t expected to make the starting eleven of the side but can be a vital replacement for the veteran Ravichandran Ashwin.

Gopal, during his old playing days, displayed his quality of smashing the ball around the park, besides his skill in spinning the ball in the middle phase of the innings. The 31-year-old has picked up 124 wickets in the shortest format of the game at an economy rate of 7.42 with an average of below 20, thanks to the best bowling figure of 5/11.

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The right-handed batter has also smashed 525 runs in 42 innings at an average of around 17 and a strike rate of over 120, with the best score of unbeaten 48 runs. In 51 innings of the Indian Premier League, Shreyas Gopal has collected 52 wickets at an average of just below 26 and an economy rate of 8.16.

Watch: Shreyas Gopal picks his hat-trick against Baroda in SMAT 2024

It hasn’t been a great previous few seasons for the spinner, who featured in just seven encounters in the last four years with the help of four wickets at an average of over 40 with an economy rate of more than ten.

He was taking part in the SMAT contest at the Emerald High School Ground in Indore against Baroda, where his side put on 169/8 in their allotted 20 overs, with an unbeaten half-century from Abhinav Manohar in the form of 56 in 34 balls with the help of a strike rate of over 164. They finished on 169/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

In reply, the Krunal Pandya-led side was going in a great manner in the chase, with 102 runs coming in the first half. The opening batter, Shaswat Rawat, drilled 63 runs in 37 balls, shouldering on seven boundaries and a couple of sixes at the strike rate of over 170.

On the very first ball of Shreyas Gopal, the left-handed batter used his feet and looked to punch the ball but found the field. The premier all-rounder of the Indian side, Hardik Pandya, guided the leg-sided first ball straight into the hands of the fielder.

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The Baroda captain looked to come up with the paddle sweep, but the ball bounced a little and ended in the hands of Praveen Dubey, who outstandingly adjusted him to the rotation of the shot. Shreyas Gopal also picked up the wicket of Bhanu Pania to finish with the figures of 4/19 in four overs with an economy rate of below five.

It was a huge contribution but wasn’t enough to stop them from getting the four-wicket victory. Karnataka has now been dropped down to the fourth position with three victories as many defeats with a net run rate of +1.669. Shreyas Gopal will be in action again during their upcoming and last group fixture on December 05 against Gujarat. He can push himself to be in the starting eleven of the CSK franchise for the IPL 2025.