Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 16th edition concluded on Monday, May 29, when CSK defeated GT in a nail-biting match to win their fifth title at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
Almost all of CSK’s batters had vital cameos before Ravindra Jadeja smashed a six and a four off the final two balls to seal the game for Chennai.
In IPL 2023 we saw great Indian players take the front stage and make or break their respective franchises.
The Indians dominated the competition, which saw over 1,110 sixes struck over the course of 74 matches. five out of top seven six-hitter are Indian, with Faf du Plessis (36 sixes) and Glenn Maxwell (31 sixes) the only two international players on the list.
This was not, however, the first time Indian batters dominated an IPL season. On that note, here are top five Indian batsmen who have smashed the most sixes in an IPL season.
5) Shubman Gill – 33 sixes (2023)
Shubman Gill, the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the IPL 2023, was the finest batter throughout the competition. In the early matches of the season, he pushed his game to the next level as the season progressed. Gill ended with 890 runs with a strike rate of 157.8 and an average of slightly under 60.
The GT opener, who scored four fifties and three spectacular hundreds, also smashed 85 fours and 33 maximums over the season. While his 85 boundaries were the most by any batter in IPL 2023, his 33 sixes rank fifth among Indian batters in a single IPL season.
It’s worth noting that Gill had a successful three seasons before to the IPL 2023 in which he hit 32 sixes in total
4) Ambati Rayudu – 34 sixes (2018)
Ambati Rayudu retired the IPL in possibly the most graceful way conceivable. The 37-year-old has always been a team player, and his cameo of 19 (from 8 balls) in the IPL 2023 final was crucial to his team’s win.
Rayudu has played practically every batting position, taking on high-risk cricket with the express purpose of contributing to his team.
However, in 2018 IPL, the six-time IPL winner was at his most productive. Rayudu scored 602 runs as an opener in all 16 matches, with an average of 43 and a strike rate of slightly under 150. Rayudu struck 53 fours and 34 sixes for CSK that season.
3) Shivam Dube – 35 sixes (2023)
Shivam Dube was one of the top middle-order batsmen in the just concluded IPL 2023.
CSK deployed the lanky left-hander as an enforcer against spin in the midst of an inning, and the plan worked brilliantly for the five-time winners.
Dube, a powerful person who can tonk the ball at will, broke the record for most sixes hit by a CSK player in a single season. With 35 sixes in the competition, he joined Shane Watson, who also had 35 maximums in 2018.
Dube concluded IPL 2023 with 418 runs at a strike rate of 158.33, becoming the Indian with the third most sixes in a season after his two maximums against Rashid Khan in the final on Monday.
2) Rishabh Pant – 37 sixes (2018)
Rishabh Pant is another daring player who dazzled everyone with his fireworks during the IPL 2018. During that season, he hit 37 sixes becoming the second-most by any Indian in a single season.
Pant had a memorable season, gaining notoriety for his extravagant hitting throughout the season. The southpaw from Delhi was the tournament’s second-highest run-getter, with 684 runs at an average of 52 and a strike rate of more than 172.
Pant, who was involved in a tragic accident in December of last year, is presently recovering and the Delhi Capitals (DC) will be hoping that he is back to his best for the next season.
1) Virat Kohli – 38 sixes (2016)
Despite Shubman Gill’s run-scoring frenzy this year, he was unable to equal Virat Kohli’s record-breaking 2016 season.
Throughout the 2016 season, the former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain was on fire, hitting runs at will and wreaking havoc on every opposition bowling attack he encountered.
While Kohli is not a natural six-hitting machine like others, his threatening form has seen him hammer as many as 38 maximums for RCB, a record for the most sixes hit by an Indian in a single season.
Kohli also struck 83 fours that season, totalling 973 runs at an astounding average of 81.09 and a strike rate of 152.03.