The Indian Premier League is a professional T20 cricket championship that’s held annually by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The IPL is a short-format cricket tournament that emphasizes entertainment and aggression over the strategic and paced nature of ODI or Test cricket. Dot balls are a rare occurrence in the IPL, and most batters prefer going for boundaries.
Boundaries beget the most runs in cricket and are essential for producing exciting innings. There are two types of boundaries in cricket: Four - when the ball leaves the field with contact to the ground and Six - when the ball leaves the field in the air.
The sixth is the most explosive boundary and incites the biggest reactions from the crowd in attendance. A four is a safe choice, but many batsmen prefer hitting sixes, even if it means risking catches. There are a few players in IPL and in the world who’ve hit more sixes than fours in their career. Today, we take a look at such players. Dive in to read the list of players and teams with the most sixes in IPL history (2008-2024).
Most Sixes in IPL By Players
Chris Gayle holds the record for the most sixes in IPL history. And it’s unlikely any other cricketer will ever be able to match his destructive batting and even come near to touching his incredible record of 357 sixes.
Rohit Sharma, who is still leading Mumbai Indians as captain, and has a few good years left ahead in his career, occupies second place with 272 sixes.
AB de Villiers is in the third position with 251 sixes.
Also Read: Most Centuries in IPL
| Player | Span | Mat | SR | 100 | 50 | 6s |
| CH Gayle (KKR/KXIP/PBKS/RCB) | 2009-2021 | 142 | 148.96 | 6 | 31 | 357 |
| RG Sharma (DCH/MI) | 2008-2024 | 257 | 131.14 | 2 | 43 | 280 |
| V Kohli (RCB) | 2008-2024 | 252 | 131.97 | 8 | 55 | 272 |
| MS Dhoni (CSK/RPS) | 2008-2024 | 264 | 137.53 | 0 | 24 | 252 |
| AB de Villiers (DC/RCB) | 2008-2021 | 184 | 151.68 | 3 | 40 | 251 |
| DA Warner (DC/SRH) | 2009-2024 | 184 | 139.77 | 4 | 62 | 236 |
| KA Pollard (MI) | 2010-2022 | 189 | 147.32 | 0 | 16 | 223 |
| AD Russell (DC/KKR) | 2012-2024 | 127 | 174.92 | 0 | 11 | 209 |
| SV Samson (DC/RR) | 2013-2024 | 168 | 138.96 | 3 | 25 | 206 |
| SK Raina (CSK/GL) | 2008-2021 | 205 | 136.73 | 1 | 39 | 203 |
| SR Watson (CSK/RCB/RR) | 2008-2020 | 145 | 137.91 | 4 | 21 | 190 |
| KL Rahul (KXIP/LSG/PBKS/RCB/SRH) | 2013-2024 | 132 | 134.6 | 4 | 37 | 187 |
| RV Uthappa (CSK/KKR/MI/PWI/RCB/RR) | 2008-2022 | 205 | 130.35 | 0 | 27 | 182 |
| AT Rayudu (CSK/MI) | 2010-2023 | 204 | 127.54 | 1 | 22 | 173 |
| F du Plessis (CSK/RCB/RPS) | 2012-2024 | 145 | 136.36 | 0 | 37 | 166 |
| JC Buttler (MI/RR) | 2016-2024 | 107 | 147.52 | 7 | 19 | 161 |
| KD Karthik (DC/GL/KKR/KXIP/MI/RCB) | 2008-2024 | 257 | 135.36 | 0 | 22 | 161 |
| GJ Maxwell (DC/KXIP/MI/RCB) | 2012-2024 | 134 | 156.73 | 0 | 18 | 160 |
| YK Pathan (KKR/RR/SRH) | 2008-2019 | 174 | 142.97 | 1 | 13 | 158 |
| RR Pant (DC) | 2016-2024 | 111 | 148.93 | 1 | 18 | 154 |
Most Sixes by a Team
The Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore are toe-to-toe in the list for the teams with the most sixes in the Indian Premier League.
| Team | Matches Played | Sixes Hit |
| Mumbai Indians | 254 | 1,625 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 248 | 1,549 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 231 | 1,449 |
| Punjab Kings | 239 | 1,437 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 243 | 1,413 |
| Delhi Capitals | 245 | 1,274 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 213 | 1,178 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 172 | 937 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 36 | 277 |
| Gujarat Titans | 40 | 230 |
Most Sixes in an Innings
The Universe Boss Chris Gayle strikes again! The West Indies’ heavy hitter Is featured five times in the list of players who hit the most sixes in single innings. Gayle smashed a record 17 sixes in his historic 175-run unbeaten knock in 2013 IPL.
Also Read: Fastest Centuries in IPL (2008-2024)
| Rank | Player | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate | Opposition |
| 1 | Chris Gayle (RCB) | 175* | 66 | 13 | 17 | 265.15 | PW |
| 2 | Brendon McCullum (KKR) | 158* | 73 | 10 | 13 | 216.43 | RCB |
| 3 | Chris Gayle (RCB) | 128* | 62 | 7 | 13 | 206.45 | DD |
| 4 | Chris Gayle (RCB) | 117 | 57 | 7 | 12 | 205.26 | KXIP |
| 5 | AB de Villiers (RCB) | 129* | 52 | 10 | 12 | 248.07 | Guj Lions |
| 6 | Sanath Jayasuriya (MI) | 114* | 48 | 9 | 11 | 237.5 | CSK |
| 7 | Murali Vijay (CSK) | 127 | 56 | 8 | 11 | 226.78 | RR |
| 8 | Andre Russell (KKR) | 88* | 36 | 1 | 11 | 244.44 | CSK |
| 9 | Chris Gayle (KXIP) | 104* | 63 | 1 | 11 | 165.07 | SRH |
| 10 | Adam Gilchrist (DEC) | 109* | 47 | 9 | 10 | 231.91 | MI |
Most Sixes in an IPL Season
Chris Gayle tops this list again. He smacked 59 sixes in the 2013 IPL season. Gayle’s West Indies teammate and KKR all-rounder Andre Russell, also referred to as Russell Muscles, came close to breaking Gayle’s record in 2019 after hitting 52 sixes. English batsman Jos Buttler is another addition to the list, thanks to his four centuries in the 2022 IPL. Buttler hit 45 sixes.
| Rank | Player | Sixes | IPL Year |
| 1 | Chris Gayle (RCB) | 59 | 2012 |
| 2 | Andre Russell (KKR) | 52 | 2019 |
| 3 | Chris Gayle (RCB) | 51 | 2013 |
| 4 | Jos Buttler (RR) | 45 | 2022 |
| 5 | Chris Gayle (RCB) | 44 | 2011 |