In the age of T20 cricket, who doesn’t enjoy towering sixes hit by some of the world’s finest players? After all, the T20 format is tailor-made for the batsmen to go ballistic. In the current edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sanju Samson has hit the most sixes so far at 23, closely followed by Nicholas Pooran on 22 and Ishan Kishan with 21. However, it comes as no surprise that the explosive Chris Gayle heads the all-time list of six-hitters in IPL.
Here’s a list of the top 5 six-hitters in IPL:
The “Universe Boss”, as he is popularly known, takes the top spot. He was a part of three franchises viz. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and currently with Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). With 341 sixes to his name from 131 matches, he is well ahead of the others in the list. Age hasn’t dimmed his reflexes and at 41, he is still a force to reckon with.
The “Superman” from South Africa is second in the list. He was previously with the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and currently is with the RCB. He can play shots all around the ground and is often referred to as a 360-degrees player. Currently, he’s plying his trade with RCB. He has 232 sixes to his name from 166 games.
The former India captain is the first Indian to breach the 200-sixes mark in the IPL. The three-time IPL winning captain with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has 216 sixes under his belt from 203 matches. Known as the ‘Finisher’ for his knack of finishing close contests, he is yet to find his mojo in the current edition and appears to be a pale shadow of his former self.
Leading Mumbai Indians to a record four IPL titles, Rohit Sharma is fourth in the list. The “Hitman” as he is called, who already has four T20 International centuries to his credit, has hit 209 sixes in 197 matches. He was part of Deccan Chargers till 2010, and has been with the Mumbai Indians ever since.
The India and RCB captain takes the number five spot, with 200 sixes from 189 matches. “King Kohli”, known for his timing and placement, relies on these attributes instead of brute force to clear the boundaries at will. He has been a part of the Bangalore franchise since its inception in 2008.