Watch: Who is Ashok Kumar who took hat-trick in SMAT 2025?

Hat-trick in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 (SMAT 2025). When batters are making headlines for playing some brilliant knocks, an underrated bowler from Rajasthan showed excellent bowling skill by taking three wickets in 3 consecutive deliveries. 

Rajasthan pacer Ashok Kumar claimed a hat-trick during the Uttarakhand vs. Rajasthan SMAT 2025 match on December 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The match was poised to be a thriller in the last quarter, but the hat trick of Kumar folded things in quick time. In the last three balls of the 18th over of the second innings of the match, the seamer bagged the hat trick. 

Who is Ashok Kumar? 

Ashok Kumar is a well-known bowler from Rajasthan. In domestic cricket, his swing bowling ability with control over line and length is well discussed. Scouts of franchises from the Indian Premier League are already aware of the 23-year-old. The bowler, who received multiple IPL contracts, is yet to make his debut in the league. 

Read More: Watch: Sarfaraz Khan scores hundred and bursts out of emotions in SMAT 2025 match

The right-arm pacer was a part of Rajasthan Royals (RR) as a net bowler before Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought him in a player's contract in 2022 for INR 55 lakh. But he did not get to play any single match for KKR. After spending some time with the Kolkata-based franchise, he went back to RR and joined the franchise for INR 30 lakhs at the mega auction in 2025. 

Ahead of another IPL auction, Kumar has shown his class. Uttarakhand was seven down for 120 while they were chasing a target of 194. Well-set batter Rajan Kumar was on the pitch when Ashok made it 120 for 8. Then, in the next two deliveries, the pacer took Agrim Arun Tiwari and Akash Madhwal's timber to confirm a win for Rajasthan. In his 3-over spell, Ashok Kumar struck 4 times against only 16 runs. 

watch the hat-trick here