Most Sixes in an Innings in IPL

T20 cricket is all about maximizing every ball faced or delivered during a match. With a team getting only 20 overs in an innings, the players hardly get the time to settle. When it comes to the shortest format of the game, it is all about firing on all cylinders right from the word go.

Unsurprisingly, six-hitting is one of the most important skills required for a batsman to excel in T20s. Over the years, one has seen batsmen from around the world showcasing their unbelievable batting prowess in the Indian Premier League (IPL), arguably the pinnacle of T20 cricket.

The richest cricket league in the world has completely revolutionized the shortest format of the game. It has taken power-hitting to a new level. Among the many batting records, the one that probably excites the fans the most is hitting the most sixes in a single innings.

With small boundaries, flat pitches and rules tilted slightly in the batsmen's favour, six-hitting reaches its zenith in the IPL. Over the years, some of the most destructive batsmen of modern times have graced the IPL. The likes of Chris Gayle, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Brendon McCullum, Andre Russell, AB de Villiers and others have made a huge impact in the tournament with their power-hitting skill.

With a team facing only 120 deliveries in an innings, batsmen who can hit sixes regularly are nothing less than an asset. Such batsmen can change the course of a game in a matter of a few deliveries and they have always been in demand in IPL.

They are also very popular among the fans as they take the excitement to a different level altogether. That six-hitting would be an indispensable part of the IPL was very much clear in the very first game of the tournament in 2008 when Brendon McCullum played the iconic knock of 158 runs.

The cricketing world did not know what to expect from the IPL once the BCCI announced its formation. And it did not take the cricketing world long to realise that the tournament will be all about power-hitting. McCullum hit as many as 13 sixes during this monumental knock to start the IPL on a stunning note.

In the first season of the IPL, only two other batsmen managed to hit 10 or more sixes in an innings. Mumbai Indians' Sanath Jayasuriya hit 11 sixes during his 114-run knock against Chennai Super Kings. The other batsman to achieve the feat was Adam Gilchrist who hit 10 sixes while scoring 109 against Mumbai Indians.

In IPL 2009, not a single batsman could hit 10 sixes in an innings. AB de Villiers, Yusuf Pathan and Matthew Hayden jointly held the record for most sixes in an innings in IPL 2009 for hitting six sixes. In IPL 2010, Murali Vijay hit the most sixes in an innings when he smashed 11 sixes while scoring 127 against Rajasthan Royals.

Talking about the recent seasons, Gujarat Titans teammates Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill jointly held the record for hitting most sixes in IPL 2023. Both the players hit 10 sixes during an innings.

In IPL 2024, the record was held by Royal Challengers Bengaluru's England star Will Jacks. He hit 10 sixes while scoring exactly 100 runs against Gujarat Titans.

The overall record for hitting most sixes in an IPL innings is held by none other than Chris Gayle. The former West Indies batsman hit a staggering 17 sixes during his iconic 175-run knock against the now-defunct Pune Warriors in IPL 2013.

Gayle is also the only batsman to hit more than 10 sixes in an IPL innings four times. No other batsman has managed to achieve this feat even twice.