IPL 2021 resumption will be watched eagerly by fans who want to see who hit the big sixes and clear the ropes. The franchises in IPL have always preferred players who can sixes on a consistent basis and those players have a big impact on the performances of the franchise. Sixes can change a game very quickly and clearing the ropes consistently requires a completely different set of skills that aren’t associated with the normal game techniques.
These players certainly bag a hefty amount of money if they go into the auction pool and such has been their worth to the franchises. With the second phase of IPL 2021 set to take place in a few day’s time, there will be a lot of sixes hit in the small ground at Sharjah like in IPL 2020. Here is the list of year-wise players with the most sixes in IPL.
IPL 2021: Year Wise Players With The Most Sixes In IPL
Sanath Jayasuriya(2008): Mumbai Indians
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya was one of the reputed names in the inaugural IPL 2008 season and he did have a good season with his franchise the Mumbai Indians at the top of the order alongside Sachin Tendulkar. Sanath Jayasuriya hit 31 maximums in the 2008 season which was the highest in the inaugural edition and he also hit one century and two half-centuries in 14 innings he played in the season. He scored 518 runs in the season at an average of 43.16.
Adam Gilchrist(2009): Deccan Chargers
Former Australian wicket-keeper batsmen Adam Gilchrist captained the now-defunct Deccan Chargers to a victory in the 2009 season-the 2nd edition of IPL in which he hit the most maximums of 29. The left-hander is a natural six-hitting machine in IPL and he also hit 54 boundaries in the year. He finished with 495 runs in 16 innings at an average of 30.93 in the IPL 2009 and he hit three half-centuries in the year.
Robin Uthappa(2010): Royal Challengers Bangalore
Robin Uthappa had a scintillating season in 2010 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and he was one of the key factors in taking the side to the semifinals of the tournament. Robin Uthappa hit the most sixes in the 2010 IPL with 27 maximums and also hit 21 fours at a stunning strike rate of 171.55 in the season. He finished with 374 runs in 16 innings in the season at an average of 31.16.
Chris Gayle(2011): Royal Challengers Bangalore
Chris Gayle hit sixes for fun as always and after being surprisingly unsold in the 2011 mega auction, he made the franchises regret not buying him. He came in as a replacement for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2011 season and smashed 608 runs in 12 innings at an average of 67.55 in the season. He hit two centuries and three half-centuries in the season and his tally of 44 sixes in the season is the highest for the IPL 2011 edition as well.
Chris Gayle(2012): Royal Challengers Bangalore
Chris Gayle continued his good form from the 2011 IPL season into the 2012 season as RCB decided to retain his services. Chris Gayle looked at the epitome of consistency with 733 runs in 15 games in the season at an average of 61.08 and he hit one century and 7 half-centuries in the season. He finished with 59 sixes in the 2012 IPL which is the highest for a season in history until now.
Chris Gayle(2013): Royal Challengers Bangalore
Chris Gayle managed yet another blockbuster season in the 2013 IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore side and he notched up the highest T20 individual score with a 175 not out against Pune Warriors. The big left-hander finished with 708 runs in 16 innings in the season and he hit one century and 4 half-centuries in the season. Chris Gayle smacked 51 sixes in the season as well which is the third overall highest for an IPL season in history.
Glenn Maxwell(2014): Kings XI Punjab
Glenn Maxwell brought up his show at UAE in the 2014 IPL in the first few games and he looked unstoppable in the 2014 season. Glenn Maxwell hit 552 runs in 16 games in the season at an average of 34.50 and he hit four half-centuries in the process of taking his side Kings XI Punjab to their maiden finals. He hit 36 sixes in IPL 2014 which was the highest for the season and had a strike rate of 187 in IPL 2014.
Chris Gayle(2015): Royal Challengers Bangalore
Chris Gayle had made up for missing out few games in 2014 with an excellent 2015 season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and he piled up 491 runs in 14 innings at an average of 40.91. He hit one century and two half-centuries in the season and his tally of 38 sixes in IPL 2015 was the highest for the season as well. He had a strike rate of 147.44 in the season and looked very threatening to the opponents.
Virat Kohli (2016): Royal Challengers Bangalore
Virat Kohli had a breakout season in 2016 in which he shattered most of the IPL records and led his team Royal Challengers Bangalore to the finals single-handedly. In fact, it was his most productive season scoring 973 runs in 16 innings at a mind-boggling average of 81.08. He hit four centuries and seven half-centuries in a single season and it was no brainer that he hit 38 sixes in the season which is the highest for IPL 2016.
Glenn Maxwell(2017): Kings XI Punjab & David Warner(2017)- Sunrisers Hyderabad
Glenn Maxwell did produce glimpses of his excellent show from the 2014 season in the 2017 IPL when he played for the Punjab franchise. The big-hitting right-hander struck 310 runs in 14 innings at an average of 31 and he had a strike rate of 173 in the season as well.
Glenn Maxwell hit 26 sixes in the 2017 season coming in the middle order and played the finisher role to perfection. Opener skipper David Warner of Sunrisers Hyderabad too had hit 26 sixes and amassed 641 runs averaging 58.27.
Rishabh Pant (2018): Delhi Capitals
Rishabh Pant is one of the powerful strikers of the cricket ball at the moment among the Indian batsman and the youngster rocked the show in the 2018 season. Rishabh Pant finished with 684 runs in 14 innings for the Delhi Capitals in the 2018 season at an average of 52.61 and he hit one century in the edition as well along with 5 half-centuries. His tally of 37 sixes was the highest for IPL 2018 by any player.
Andre Russell (2019): Kolkata Knight Riders
Andre Russell is known for bludgeoning the cricket ball and no player hits the cricket ball as hard as he does. The West Indian all-rounder had a phenomenal run in IPL 2019 where he hit 510 runs in 14 innings at an average of 56.66 and he had an unbelievable strike rate of 204 in the whole season. Andre Russell powered 52 sixes in the IPL 2019 which is the second-highest for any player in a season.
Ishan Kishan (2020): Mumbai Indians
Ishan Kishan had an excellent IPL 2020 in the UAE where he gathered 516 runs in 14 innings at an average of 57.33 and his brilliance earned him a maiden call up to the Indian squad. He hit four half-centuries in the season and had a strike rate of 145 in IPL 2020. The left-hander finished with 30 sixes in the season which is the highest in the IPL 2020 and he will be looking to continue his good form in the second phase in UAE next week.
In IPL 2021, Punjab Kings’ KL Rahul had hit 16 sixes followed by SRH’s Jonny Bairstow who hit 15 sixes before IPL 2021 was suspended due to bio bubble breaches. The likes of Ambati Rayudu-Chennai, Jos Buttler-Rajasthan, Andre Russell-Kolkata, Faf du Plessis-Chennai, and Kieron Pollard-Mumbai were tied in the 3rd spot with 13 sixes each.
Here are the players with the most sixes in each IPL season:
2008: Sanath Jayasuriya (31) – Mumbai Indians
2009: Adam Gilchrist (29) – Deccan Chargers (defunct)
2010: Robin Uthappa (27) – Royal Challengers Bangalore
2011: Chris Gayle (44) – Royal Challengers Bangalore
2012: Chris Gayle (59) – Royal Challengers Bangalore
2013: Chris Gayle (51) – Royal Challengers Bangalore
2014: Glenn Maxwell (36) – Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings)
2015: Chris Gayle (38) – Royal Challengers Bangalore
2016: Virat Kohli (38) – Royal Challengers Bangalore
2017: Glenn Maxwell (26) – Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings); David Warner (26) – Sunrisers Hyderabad
2018: Rishabh Pant (37) – Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals)
2019: Andra Russell (52) – Kolkata Knight Riders
2020: Ishan Kishan (30) – Mumbai Indians