The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a breeding ground for exciting cricketing action and monstrous sixes. Over the years, the tournament has seen some of the longest sixes in IPL history as the batters unleash their power and send the ball deep into the stands. The sight of the ball soaring high into the sky and landing out of the stadium is a familiar one in the IPL. With each passing season, players have been breaking records and sending the ball to the furthest corner of the ground.
Longes Sixes in IPL History
Albie Morkel-125 m
Albie Morkel is a South African player belonging to a family of cricketers. He has represented his country in all three formats and has made memorable contributions raising him to fame. Morkel has been a part of Chennai Super Kings for six long years after which he was acquired by Royal Challengers and later by Delhi Daredevils. In a match of Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers in Hyderabad in 2008, Alby hit off-spinner Pragyan Oja for a giant 6, forcing the referee to take away a new ball as the previous ball had left the field. In his premier league first season, fans witnessed this smash hit, followed by several hits setting a record of the longest six hits in history at 125m.
Praveen Kumar-124m
A right-handed medium-speed bowler, Praveen Kumar has played cricket for India in the past. Praveen is the epitome of India’s traditional medium pacer. He throws the ball at 125 km/h, which is fine for a top-class hitter against him. However, his ability to swing the ball even on the street made him India’s “go-to” bowler. He made hitters very nervous with his deceptive speed and ability to swing new balls. Parveen Kumar hit a massive six against Mumbai Indians bowled by Lasith Malinga, which was recorded at 124m.
Adam Gilchrist -122 m
Adam Craig Gilchrist is a former professional cricketer, current cricket commentator and ex-skipper of the Australian national team. He was also a record-breaking wicketkeeper and an attacking left-hander. Gilchrist once headed the Kings XI Punjab team where he excelled in his IPL not only as a hitter but also as a lovable and inspirational leader. He still holds the record for longest 6 by a wicketkeeper with his 122-yard big dash from 2011. The whole audience went into a frenzy to watch their favourite batter smash hits one after the other.
Robin Uthappa – 120 m
Robin Venu Uthappa is a former Indian national team batsman who used to play for the IPL’s Chennai Super Kings. Uthappa played in two formats for team India- ODI and T20. He is famous for his strategy of charging at bowlers earning the nickname of the “Walking Assassin”. He contributed massively to India’s victory in the ICC T20 World Cup 2007. Ahead of the 2020 season of the Indian Premier League, Uthappa signed with the Royals and appeared in 12 games. He contributed to his title-winning campaigns for KKR in 2012 and 2014, collecting an average of 405 and 660 runs in those years respectively. He recorded his massive six of 120 m in 2010 while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Chris Gayle -119 m
Christopher Henry Gayle, a Jamaican cricketer, has been a part of the West Indies cricket team since 1999 in international tournaments. Gayle has made history by becoming the first player to score a hundred in all three formats of cricket. With the introduction of the IPL in 2008, the disparity in the weight of the different cricket formats became more pronounced, and Gayle’s performance in the IPL exemplifies this. He holds the record for hitting the most sixes in the IPL (357) than any other player. In a match against the Rising Pune Supergiant in 2013, Gayle hit the longest IPL six ever recorded, measuring 119 meters, against bowler Ashok Dinda.
Yuvraj Singh -119 m
Former India cricket, Yuvraj Singh, had been a gem in all forms of the game as an all-rounder who bowled slow left-arm orthodox and batted left-handed in the middle order. Yuvraj Singh’s graceful batting style is one of the most beautiful things to witness in cricket, and he is undoubtedly among the best match-winners in white-ball cricket history. When the IPL was introduced in 2008, he captained the Punjab franchise for the first three seasons before switching to another team. Despite his many accomplishments for India, Yuvraj surprisingly never had a dominant IPL season, although he did have some hits. As captain of the Kings XI Punjab club in 2009, he hit a six that measured 119 meters. Before retiring, Yuvraj had hit 149 sixes, placing him in the top 10 IPL six-hitters. Fans of cricket around the world still remember his 119-meter six.
Ross Taylor-119 m
Ross Taylor, a retired professional cricketer, and former captain of the New Zealand national team had an ironic character given how he burst into the international cricket scene with an exuberant, free-spirited style of stroke play that enthralled the audience. He debuted for Central Districts in the 2002-03 season and gradually established himself as a dependable batter in all forms over the next two seasons. During the 2005-06 season, his career took off, and he was called up for home ODIs against Sri Lanka in early 2006. Ross Taylor is proud to be among the longest six hitters in IPL history, with his 119-meter home run ranking as the seventh-longest hit in history. He accomplished this feat as a member of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the tournament’s inaugural year.
Benjamin Cutting-117 m
Benjamin Colin James Cutting is an all-rounder cricketer from Australia who gained popularity for his lower-order pinch-hitting and tricky bouncers in limited-overs cricket. In 2013, he travelled to India to participate in the Champions League T20 with the Brisbane Heat team. He was bought by the Rajasthan Royals during the 2014 IPL auction but did not play much due to the priority given to other bowlers on the team. Later, he was purchased by the Sunrisers Hyderabad team and helped them win the 2016 championship with a match-winning performance. During that season, he hit the longest six, measuring 117 meters. Cutting is a powerful hitter who relies more on strength than timing.
Gautam Gambhir – 117 m
In 2008, Gambhir made a mark in the ODI tri-series in Australia by becoming the leading run-scorer, surpassing players like Sachin, Ponting, and Sangakkara. He was quickly established in the ODI squad and made it to the Test squad due to his excellent performance in the ODIs. Despite his struggles in international cricket, he was highly regarded in the IPL and was auctioned for a respectable amount of Rs 11 crore by KKR in 2011. Gambhir led the team and helped them win the IPL championships in 2012 and 2014. He returned to Delhi Daredevils in 2018. Additionally, Gambhir hit the longest six ever recorded in the IPL, a 117-meter hit for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2013, which was considered one of the season’s best.
MS Dhoni – 115 m
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a former Indian international cricketer, ex-skipper of the Indian national side in limited-overs formats and Test cricket between 2007 and 2017 and from 2008 to 2014, respectively. Dhoni’s start in international cricket was not smooth as he had a duck in his debut ODI and subsequent poor performances. Despite poor performances early on in his career, selectors as well as then India captain Sourav Ganguly. In the fifth ODI against Pakistan, Dhoni proved his worth with his impressive stroke-play and scored 148 runs at Vishakhapatnam.
He led a young Indian team to victory in the first World T20 in 2007, which was his first tournament as captain, and received praise for his calm and composed leadership style, earning the nickname “Captain Cool.” Currently, he captains the Chennai franchise, one of the most successful teams in the Indian Premier League, with four championship wins in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021. Dhoni is one of the most successful captains in the IPL and is known for hitting towering sixes. One of his longest sixes in the tournament was a 115-meter hit in 2009.
Also Read: RR vs LSG Prediction, Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants, Match 26, IPL 2023
