First time a top division league was introduced in India was in 1996 when the National Football League (NFL) was established. Before that it used to a series of prestigious tournaments like the IFA Shield, Durand Cup, Federation Cup and the Santosh Trophy. But there was no unified domestic league.
The NFL was a significant development in Indian football and the league witnessed a lot of great strikers over time.
Yusif Yakubu has the most number of hat-tricks to his name in the National Football League (NFL) era. On all five occasions he scored a hat-trick, he was wearing a Churchill Brothers jersey.
Only Ranti Martins has scored a hat-trick and still ended up on the losing side. A total of 35 hat-tricks were scored in the NFL era. Goal takes a look at all those occassions.
1996-97
Two hat-tricks were scored in this season and both of them were netted by Bhaichung Bhutia. He found the net five times against Mahindra and even finished the league as the top-scorer with 14 goals.
| Player Name | For | Against | Result |
| Bhaichung Bhutia 5 | JCT | Mahindra United | 6-1 |
| Bhaichung Bhutia | JCT | Dempo | 4-1 |
1997-98
On two occasions, hat-tricks were scored in this season as well. Mohun Bagan's Chima Okorie and Goutam Ghosh for Dempo SC were the scorers.
| Player Name | For | Against | Result |
| Goutam Ghosh | Dempo | FC Kochin | 5-3 |
| Chima Okorie | Mohun Bagan | Mahindra United | 3-0 |
1998-99
Manjit Singh of Mahindra United scored the only hat-trick of this season.
| Player Name | For | Against | Result |
| Manjit Singh | Mahindra United | Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) | 6-0 |
1999-2000
Churchill Brother's Francis Silveira and East Bengal's Ossius Luiz Ferreira were the hat-trick scorers of this season. In fact, Silveira scored a poker against Dempo to rout them 5-0.
| Player Name | For | Against | Result |
| Francis Silveira 4 | Churchill Brothers | Dempo SC | 5-0 |
| Ossius Luiz Ferreira | East Bengal | State Bank of Travancore | 3-0 |
2000-01
Mohun Bagan's RC Prakash and Air India's Bungo Singh netted a hat-trick each in this season. Singh scored four against State Bank of Travancore.
| Player Name | For | Against | Result |
| RC Prakash | Mohun Bagan | Air India | 0-3 |
| Bungo Singh 4 | Air India | State Bank of Travancore | 6-1 |
2001-02
Four hat-tricks were scored in this season and Golden Boot winner Yusif Yakubu scored three goals in a match on two occassions. Mike Okoro and Akeem Alem were the two other players.
| Player Name | For | Against | Result |
| Yusif Yakubu | Churchill Brothers | Tollygunge Agragami | 0-4 |
| Mike Okoro | Indian Telephone Industries | Punjab Police | 3-0 |
| Akeem Alem | Tollygunge Agragami | Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) | 3-2 |
| Yusif Yakubu | Churchill Brothers | Mahindra United | 2-3 |
2002-03
In this campaign, a record ten hat-tricks were scored. Nine players took the match ball at the final whistle with Mohun Bagan's George Ekeh and doing it twice.
| Player Name | For | Against | Match Result |
| George Ekeh | Mohun Bagan | JCT | 3-3 |
| George Ekeh | Mohun Bagan | HAL | 1-3 |
| Dudu Omagbemi | Salgaocar | Indian Bank | 2-4 |
| Kasun Nadika Jayasuriya | Indian Bank | East Bengal | 3-3 |
| Alvito D'Cunha | East Bengal | HAL | 3-5 |
| Mike Okoro | East Bengal | HAL | 4-1 |
| Yusif Yakubu | Churchill Brothers | Indian Bank | 5-0 |
| Kasun Nadika Jayasuriya | Indian Bank | ITI | 6-1 |
| Agnelo Jose Gomes 4 | Vasco | HAL | 8-0 |
| Rui Wanderley Weis | Vasco | ITI | 5-0 |
2003-04
Five players scored three goals in a match this season.
| Player Name | For | Against | Match result |
| Ashim Biswas | Mohun Bagan | Indian Bank | 3-0 |
| Yusif Yakubu | Churchill Brothers | Indian Bank | 4-1 |
| Felix Aboagye | Mahindra United | Mohammedan Sporting Club | 1-5 |
| Dudu Omagbemi | Sporting Clube de Goa | Indian Bank | 4-1 |
| Marcos Pereira | Vasco SC | Mohun Bagan | 5-1 |
2004-05
Four different players scored a hat-trick in this season. Yusif Yakubu had netted thrice in a match for the fourth consecutive season.
| Player name | For | Against | Match result |
| Dudu Omagbemi | Sporting Clube de Goa | Fransa FC | 1-4 |
| Ranti Martins | Dempo SC | East Bengal | 3-2 |
| Yusif Yakubu | Churchill Brothers | Sporting Clube de Goa | 1-3 |
| Sunil Chhetri | Mohun Bagan | Tollygunge Agragami | 4-0 |
2005-06
Ranti Martins and Bhaichung Bhutia scored hat-tricks in this campaign for Dempo and East Bengal respectively. But Martins' three goals came for a losing cause.
| Player Name | For | Against | Match Result |
| Ranti Martins | Dempo SC | Mahindra United | 3-4 |
| Bhaichung Bhutia | East Bengal | Sporting Clube de Goa | 4-3 |
2006-07
For the first time since the 1998-99 season, a single hat-trick was scored.
| Player Name | For | Against | Match result |
| Odafa Onyeka Okolie 4 | Churchill Brothers | Md Sporting | 1-4 |
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