Odisha fast bowler Rajesh Mohanty became the first cricketer from the state to register a hat-trick in List A cricket. He achieved this milestone during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025–26 match against Services on Friday, December 26, at Alur Cricket Stadium III in Bengaluru.

After Odisha won the toss and chose to field, Mohanty struck in the seventh over. He began by knocking over Sagar Dahiya’s stumps, followed immediately by trapping Ayush Shukla leg-before wicket. The pacer then completed the hat-trick by dismissing Ravi Chauhan for a golden duck, making it a memorable day for Odisha cricket.

Mohanty wrapped up with impressive figures of 3 wickets for 25 runs in nine overs, helping Odisha bowl out Services for just 83, their second-lowest score in the history of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Sambit S Baral provided strong support with 4/21 from 8.5 overs, and Badal Biswal chipped in with 2 wickets for 20 runs, completing a comprehensive bowling display for the team.

Mohanty’s milestone comes soon after a setback in the IPL 2026 mini-auction, where he went unsold. Despite setting a base price of Rs 30 lakh, the fast bowler failed to attract any bids during the Abu Dhabi auction.

So far, Mohanty has appeared in 38 List A matches, picking up 41 wickets. In First-Class cricket, he has claimed 124 scalps across 34 matches, while in the T20 format, he has taken 27 wickets in 28 innings.

During Odisha’s second innings, the chase was briefly disrupted by Poonam Poonia, who claimed 4 wickets for 27 runs, and Nitin Yadav, who picked up 2/20. However, Sandeep Pattnaik held his nerve, remaining unbeaten on 32 off 69 balls, guiding Odisha to a win in 24.3 overs.