Faulkner and the five-for ’trick

When James Faulkner marks his run-up in the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad, his mind will be on a different kind of hat-trick.

The only man to claim two five-fors in the IPL, both against the Hyderabad outfit, the Rajasthan Royals left-arm paceman will be eyeing a third to advance his side.

Faulkner's exploits augur well for the Royals. In the inaugural edition, it was left-arm paceman Sohail Tanvir who spearheaded the Rajasthan side's successful campaign. In fact, Tanvir's was the first-ever five-wicket haul in the IPL and remains the best-ever (six for 14). No other bowler has taken six so far.

Faulkner, the current owner of the Purple Cap with 26 wickets, has had mixed results with his five-fors. Though Royals won the first of those encounters, it came a cropper in the return leg in Hyderabad.

Apart from Faulkner, two other bowlers with five-wicket bags have ended on the losing side — Munaf Patel and Sunil Narine. In both instances, it was Kings XI which stole the bowler's thunder.

When it comes to efficiency and economy, Anil Kumble's five for five in the clash between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals is yet to be bettered.

The leg-spinner's five-wicket haul was the only one in 2009, something that the subsequent edition did not witness at all.