Nikhil Chaudhary Wastes Akeal Hosein Hattrick. Image Credits: JioStar
In a phenomenal achievement, West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein registered a sensational hattrick in TSK's most recent MLC 2026 encounter against Washington Freedom. However, his valiant bowling effort was insufficient to power his team to glory, as Nikhil Chaudhary's last-ball six scripted an epic victory for the Freedom.
Akeal Hosein records first hattrick in MLC history
Akeal Hosein completed his hattrick in the final over of Washington Freedom's innings, dismissing Marco Jansen, Amila Aponso and Asif Mehmood on the second, third and fourth deliveries.
He began the over with a crucial dot ball before dismissing Marco Jansen in the very next delivery. Akeal bowled a full-length delivery as Jansen miscued a lofted shot and was caught by Abhimanyu Lamba at the short fine leg.
The left-arm spinner from the Caribbean further went on to get rid of Amila Aponso in a similar fashion before getting Asif Mehmood stumped off his fourth ball.
Thus, Akeal Hosein registered the first hattrick in the history of MLC, adding an illustrious milestone to his feathered cap.
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Nikhil Chaudhary wastes Akeal Hosein hattrick
After TSK posted a competitive total of 185 runs, the MLC 2026 clash went down to the wire, with Washington Freedom needing six runs, with four wickets remaining, to win the match.
Although Akeal Hosein's hattrick pushed the Super Kings to the verge of a nail-biting win, Nikhil Chaudhary smashed a six off the final ball to spoil their party.
The full-length deliveries had worked wonders for Akeal Hosein; however, he decided to vary his length when Nikhil Chaudhary took his guard to face the final ball of the innings.
Akeal's decision backfired on him as well as Texas Super Kings, as Nikhil Chaudhary comfortably dispatched his back-of-the-length delivery into the stands over the mid-wicket fence.
Watch the video below:
Nikhil Chaudhary redeems himself with dramatic finish
Chasing 186, Washington Freedom had an excellent start to their innings, as Mitchell Owen and Steve Smith added 91 runs in just 7.5 overs for the first wicket.
However, Smith's departure in the eighth over triggered Freedom's batting collapse, with the franchise losing the key wickets of Owen, Mark Chapman and Andries Gous in quick succession.
Nikhil Chaudhary, an India-born cricketer who recently made his international debut for Australia, entered the middle when his team was struggling at 120 for three. Despite running out of partners, Chaudhary held the fort at one end, keeping the hopes alive for Washington Freedom.
Until the very last delivery of the innings, Nikhil Chaudhary had managed only 21 runs off 18 deliveries.
While the scorecard highlighted his struggles to score runs at a brisk pace, what it kept hidden was Chaudhary's grit and willpower to finish the game for his team.
His innings, which had seen him hit only two maximums in the first 18 deliveries, eventually turned memorable, as he smashed a last ball six to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Moreover, Nikhil Chaudhary's innings showcased his ability to ace as a finisher for the Australian team, which is currently searching for a man with nerves of steel to seal the crunch moments in the shortest format.
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