The Indian Premier League is blessed with several big hitters who have entertained people with their ability to hit sixes at a good rate. Sixes are worth the gold in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In the starting days of T20 cricket, batters weren’t aware of the importance of six-hitting. But nowadays, teams focus heavily on the range hitting abilities of their players. Players start to spend a lot of time in the gym to build muscles.
Moreover, hitting several sixes in an innings is never an easy task. Batters also need to have luck with him so that all the sixes in that particular land outside the boundary rope, and most importantly, their mishits land in the no-man’s land.
Christopher Henry Gayle has dominated this list. Gayle, who holds the record for the most number of sixes in IPL, also holds the record for the most sixes (17) hit in an innings. He created this record against Pune Warriors India in 2013 while playing for Royals Challengers Bangalore. Universe Boss scored 263 runs in that innings, which is still the record for the highest individual score in the history of IPL. Gayle created this record at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in 2013. The most special thing about this record is that it came when T20 cricket wasn’t revolutionised as much as it is now.
This article will look at the top 10 batters who have hit the most number of sixes in an innings in IPL:
Most Sixes in an IPL Innings
| BATSMEN | SIXES HIT | BALLS FACED | FINAL SCORE | OPPOSITION | YEAR | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle (RCB) | 17 | 66 | 175* | Pune Warriors India | 2013 | Bengaluru |
| Brendon McCullum (KKR) | 13 | 73 | 158* | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 2008 | Bengaluru |
| Chris Gayle (RCB) | 13 | 62 | 128* | Delhi Daredevils | 2012 | Delhi |
| Chris Gayle (RCB) | 12 | 57 | 117 | Kings XI Punjab | 2015 | Bengaluru |
| AB De Villiers (RCB) | 12 | 52 | 129* | Gujarat Lions | 2016 | Bengaluru |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (MI) | 11 | 48 | 114* | Chennai Super Kings | 2008 | Wankhede |
| Murali Vijay (CSK) | 11 | 56 | 127 | Rajasthan Royals | 2010 | Chennai |
| Andre Russell (KKR) | 11 | 36 | 88* | Chennai Super Kings | 2018 | Chennai |
| Chris Gayle (KXIP) | 11 | 63 | 104* | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2018 | Mohali |
| Adam Gilchrist (DC) | 10 | 47 | 109* | Mumbai Indians | 2008 | DY Patil |
Stats Insights
Brendon McCullum, who finds a place at 2nd position on this list, has hit 13 sixes in the inaugural game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against RCB. He set the IPL on fire with his explosiveness with the bat.
Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore is among the smallest stadiums in India in terms of ground size. Six-hitting at this venue is easy as compared to other grounds in India. Due to this, most records related to sixes have been made at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Andre Russell is the only batsman on the list who hasn’t scored a century but still finds a place in this top 10 list. Russell hit 11 sixes in his knock of 88 runs. He hit just 1 four in this innings. Russell is also the only finisher on the list. Usually, top-order batters have the best chance to face more balls. They also have the luxury of the powerplay.
Murali Vijay is the only Indian player present on the list. He hit 11 sixes against Rajasthan Royals at Chepauk stadium in Chennai. Chepauk is one of the toughest grounds for six-hitting, thanks to its longer boundaries.
Related: Which Indian batsman has hit most sixes in IPL?
