Super Smash hat-tricks don't come along every day, but in the space of a week, Northern Brave's Scott Kuggeleijn and Central Hind Ashtuti Kumar have both joined a very select club of T20 hatters.
Experienced paceman Kuggeleijn became the first player, male or female, to take a hat-trick for Northern Brave against the Auckland Aces on Thursday when he took a wicket at the end of his second over (that of Martin Guptill, caught by Zak Gibson) to close out his first spell, and then struck with his first two deliveries when he came back at the death in the 14th (Angus Oliver bowled and Adi Ashok caught by Katene Clarke).
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That was only the third ever hat-trick in the history of the men's Super Smash and it helped Northern take a huge 107-run victory in Auckland.
Just two days later, it happened again when Hinds spinner Ashtuti Kumar became the second player from her team to record a hat-trick as the Hinds played the Sparks at McLean Park.
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Two years earlier, swing bowler Claudia Green had taken Central's first ever hat-trick against Northern Brave in the 2024 Elimination Final in Hamilton, that pushed the Hinds into the Grand Final that summer.
Now the Hinds are again in the frame for Finals but they didn't get the win that they needed against the Sparks at McLean to make sure of it - with a last chance tomorrow against the Hearts in Auckland.
Kumar's hat-trick was also split across two overs as the Hinds bowled themselves back into the game late.
Olivia Gain was caught by Cate Pedersen at the end of the 16th over, and when Kumar came back to bowl the 19th, she was right on point with two wickets in her first two balls - Anna Browning caught by Emma McLeod and Emma Black bowled next ball.
Having taken a career best 4/11 earlier in the campaign at the same ground, Kumar finished with an outstanding 3/12 while Kuggeleijn had celebrated with 4/26.
Michael Bates (Aces) and Will Williams (Kings) are the only other men to have taken a Super Smash hat-trick, while Kumar's feat was the eighth in the women's Super Smash overall.
Rachel Candy and Gabby Sulllivan have hat-tricks for the Magicians, while the magic of Melie Kerr has done it twice for Wellington Blaze, along with Lucy Doolan and Amanda Cooper (one each, for a total of four for the capital).
The frontrunning Brave men play again today, against the Canterbury Kings at Hagley Oval in their last round before finals.
