Rajkot: Kings XI Punjab&rsquo;s left arm spinner Axar Patel, who recorded the first hat-trick of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), said he is reaping the rewards for bowling slower through the air.
<img title="KXIP&rsquo;s Axar Patel bowls during the IPL match against Gujarat Lions in Rajkot on Sunday. PIC/AFP" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/may/03Axar-Patell.jpg" alt="KXIP&rsquo;s Axar Patel bowls during the IPL match against Gujarat Lions in Rajkot on Sunday. PIC/AFP" /> KXIP&rsquo;s Axar Patel bowls during the IPL match against Gujarat Lions in Rajkot on Sunday. PIC/AFP
Patel&rsquo;s four wickets in five balls for his franchise helped break the backbone of their opponent Gujarat Lions&rsquo; batting on Sunday. The Kings XI won the match by 23 runs as Gujarat only managed to get to 131-9 while chasing a 155-run target. Patel took 4-21 in his four overs to fashion the team's victory.
&ldquo;Before the IPL, I was working on my flight. I worked on bowling slower through the air, so when a batsman comes down the track, I can bowl outside the off stump and beat him in flight,&rdquo; Patel was quoted as saying by the iplt20.com.
&ldquo;Generally, batsmen stay rooted to the crease and play the cut shot off my bowling. So, this is the variation I have worked on and wanted to get it right.&rdquo; Patel also said that this was his best ever bowling performance and winning the game made it more special to him. &ldquo;This has been my best bowling performance. I was just trying to do what I did in IPL-7. I was focusing on bowling in the right areas as that is something that had worked for me earlier,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I had never taken a hat-trick in my career before, so it feels really special that I got the milestone at this level. The fact that we won the game and my efforts have resulted in a win makes it even more special. This was an important win for us. We needed a breakthrough. All of us felt that we needed just one win to get going. Now, our morale is up and there is confidence within the team,&rdquo; he added.

Kings XI Punjab&rsquo;s left arm spinner Axar Patel, who recorded the first hat-trick of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), said he is reaping the rewards for bowling slower through the air

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Kings XI Punjab&rsquo;s left arm spinner Axar Patel, who recorded the first hat-trick of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), said he is reaping the rewards for bowling slower through the air

IPL 9: Worked on bowling slower through the air, says Axar Patel

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IPL 9: Worked on bowling slower through the air, says Axar Patel

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