Sixes are the most important element in T20 cricket which brought in more viewers. It looks so easy when we see it on the television, but it requires a hell lot of brains and brawn to execute the boundary over the rope properly.
There are so many debates which speak about heavy bats, flat wickets and shorter boundaries. But that doesn’t mean six-hitting is simple. The perfect calculation is must as the process involves bigger chances of getting out. So the skill set is equivalent to that of one who defends his wicket in Test cricket.
IPL, which is known for its wide range of entertainment, has this sixes over the roofs as one of its identity. The list of batters with the most number of six hitters in IPL has been changing for every season. It shows the competition involved in this game. So, based on their current form and the opportunities they might get with their batting order we have enlisted top five contenders who can hit the most number of sixes of this edition.
Chris Gayle
The Universal boss is all set to bring back his glory after six months of no cricket. He hasn’t even played Caribbean Premier League due to some reasons and has travelled directly to UAE to join his Kings XI Punjab camp. Much is expected from this gigantic Jamaican from the Punjab side. Anil Kumble, the head coach of the Punjab based franchise has recently expressed that Chris Gayle’s experience would be used to its utmost level and also it would be used to guide the youngsters in the team.
The hulky opening batter from Windies is primarily known for his six-hitting ability. His effortless transformation of power could sail the ball over the roof of the stadium, and it has a separate fan base—a solid cricketing muscle which doesn’t even bother taking on the pacers.
Chris Gayle, who is a Sachin Tendulkar of T20 format, has got terrific runs in his kit. The only who has crossed the 10000 run mark in T20 cricket has smashed about 326 sixes in IPL alone. One can’t look over Chris Gayle in this prediction.
Rohit Sharma
The perfect timer of a cricket ball is cat pawing for the fluency that he often obtains in the international stages. Mumbai Indians camp has set the best platform for Rohit to outshine as a skipper but in case of batting Rohit adds more pressure in himself. Once he is out of the burden that is kept on his shoulders, MI will witness the mighty domination with their top order. Rohit Sharma is a kind of player who takes time to settle in the ODI formats. Even in international T20s, Rohit finds it easy to go hard from the second or third overs. The responsibility of a batter speaks by then.
The Mumbai born cricketer has excellent timing skill which doesn’t even need power generation. As middling the ball has become a comfortable routine for this opening batter, his settled appearance on a pitch may cause debris flying all over the field. One cannot go for 264 runs in an ODI match unless he possesses the shots all over the park. So the IPL is waiting to witness Rohit Sharma with full flow.
Rohit Sharma is currently at the fourth position in the most number of sixes in IPL albeit the tournament hadn’t been his white area.
Hardik Pandya
The new generation brutal hitter, that’s how we can call him. He has got the violent bat swing along with the perfect middling of the ball. Whenever this combination is achieved, we can witness the ball flying to the moon. Perfect entertainer of the game. Has done wonders in the middle. Has the constant habit of touching the skyrocketing required run rate with his exceptional six-hitting ability.
Earlier he was a spin power hitter. With fast bowling, he needed more comfortability in the bat swing. But the Pandya who played in the last two years was completely brutal. He knows when to swing the bat and how to swing, no matter what the pace is. This learning of facing the fast bowlers has made him even more trouble maker for the bowling side.
With 29 sixes in the last season alone, Hardik Pandya has smashed about 68 sixes in his IPL career. And he locks himself as one of the favorites for this season’s most number of six hitters.
Andre Russell
Andre Russell is one of the powerful hitters of the cricket ball currently in the international stage. The West Indian is a great athlete with more than impressive flexibility, and that makes him a deadly batter. The boundary ropes are not his target, sending the ball out of the park is his primary mission. Moreover, that helped him to hit monstrous sixes. If it is bowled in his arc then there is no use for the bowler to worry about it, the ball will have its travel.
Andre Russell has a powerful bat flow that can even send the greatest of the restricting deliveries beyond the boundary. The most prominent striker of the ball is fond of the mid-wicket region to go over the roof. Especially his slogger sweep with magnificent bat swing is a delight for the eyes.
In the last season, Andre Russell has bashed 52 sixes in just 14 matches he played in the IPL 2019. As he got back his divine touch with his game again in CPL, Russell steps in as a violent hitter in this IPL
AB de Villiers
Undoubtedly this Proteas batter is the one who has the most number of six-hitting shots in cricket. He goes all over the park with his unique shot-making. Finds the ball bigger and that’s what makes him do aerobics to push the ball beyond the boundary rope. It is possible because he is so quick to move hither and thither. In addition, he has got the inborn reflexes that help him to tackle the ball without any pressure.
The amount of bat and energy he involves when he smashes the ball straight down the ground, followed with the completion of shots behind the shoulder is something otherworldly. Any opponent team captain will find it difficult to set fields for this South African. The smart cricketer easily adapts to the different field set up planned for him and that makes him lethal with the bat.
ABD places himself second in the most number of sixes in IPL, next to his ex-teammate Chris Gayle.
To sum up
Range hitting is what the batters of modern times used to practice. As a consequence of this type of practice, the six-hitting makes it more entertaining. There is no doubt that this IPL edition will be more engaging than the previous season. It is the routine for IPL to surpass the quality of its previous season.
