Since its inception in 2008, Indian Premier League has become one of the biggest and grandest spectacles in the game of cricket. It brings thrill, drama, suspense and entertainment all wrapped into one and just takes around 4 hours to showcase these elements. It has been one of the greatest platforms for the young exciting players from all over the globe to showcase their talent to the cricketing world. Hitting a six is an art and not many players are blessed with it. While the players like MS Dhoni, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya etc. use brute power to send the ball into the stands, the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli etc. rely on pure timing to deposit one over the rope. Here is a list of biggest sixes hit in each edition:
1. IPL 2008: Albie Morkel -125m
Albie Morkel was an all-rounder from South Africa and he was a powerhouse cricketer in the early 2000s. He was a hard hitter of a cricket ball while batting and a deceptive fast bowler in the death overs while bowling and was a luxury of any team in the shortest format of the game. During a league match of the first IPL edition against Deccan Chargers at Chepauk Stadium, Chennai, Pragyan Ojha bowled a flighted delivery. The elder Morkel got into an excellent position and deposited the ball over the mid-wicket region for a gigantic 125 meters six. It still holds the honour of being the longest six in the history of the tournament.
2. IPL 2009: Yuvraj Singh-119m
Yuvraj Singh is one of the cleanest hitters of the cricket ball. He has been a nightmare for bowlers since his debut back in 2000. During the 34th match of the IPL 2 between CSK and KXIP at Centurion, Albie Morkel bowled a full delivery at Yuvraj's pads. The left handed Yuvraj cleared his front foot and smacked the ball for a 119 meter six over the mid-wicket region to record the biggest six of the second edition of the Indian Premier League.
3. IPL 2010: Robin Uthappa-120m
The batsman from Karnataka, Robin Uthappa, is a match-winner in the shortest format. Known for his powerful hitting, the right-hander is a valuable addition for any T20 team. Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2010, Uthappa showed his class during the season when he smashed Chennai Super Kings' Dwayne Bravo's length delivery for a 120-meter searing six over long on. This particular six is one of the biggest sixes till date.
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4. IPL 2011: Adam Gilchrist-122m
This Australian has been the finest wicket-keeper batsman the game of cricket has ever seen but he is also one of the cleanest and most prolific openers in the limited over game in the modern era. Leading Kings XI Punjab in 2011 IPL, the southpaw hit a massive six off the Proteas bowler, Charles Langeveldt. Langeveldt slipped in a slower delivery to the Punjab skipper. Reading the slower ball, Gilchrist positioned himself perfectly and deposited the ball over the mid-wicket region for a 122-meter six.
5. IPL 2012: MS Dhoni- 112m
Though not one of the longest sixes in this list, it was enough to take the title of the longest six of IPL 2012. MS Dhoni is the finisher of this era. His powerful shots are his hallmark whilst batting in the middle. During a CSK vs MI game in the 5th edition of the Indian Premier League, the former New Zealand fast bowler, James Franklin, dished out a full-length ball. The quintessential wicketkeeper-batsman picked the bones out of it by depositing the ball over the long-on area to record the longest hit of the season. The ball travelled to 112 meters into the stands.
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6. IPL 2013: Chris Gayle-112m
Fondly known as the "Universe Boss", Chris Gayle is undoubtedly the most dangerous batsman in the history of T20 Cricket. During his record-shattering knock of 66-ball-175 against Pune Warriors India in 2013, Gayle deposited a juicy full toss from Ashok Dinda into the stands for a 112-meter six to record the biggest six of the season.
7. IPL 2014: David Miller-102m
Another powerful left handed batsman from South Africa, David Miller is a massive striker of the cricket. Whenever he hits them, he knocks the leather out of the ball. When it comes to blasting the ball in the slog overs, there are only a few batsmen better than David Miller in world cricket. During the 31st match of the 2014 IPL season, RCB's Harshal Patel bowled a length ball on off stump. Miller raced down the track and lofted the ball through the line over long-on to hit the roof of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.
8. IPL 2015: AB De Villiers- 108m
One of the finest batsmen to have ever graced the game of cricket, AB de Villiers, is one among the very few players who are equally loved in all parts of the cricketing world. Known for his 360-degree stroke-play, him featuring in this list is no surprise. During the 16th Match of the 2015 IPL between RCB and MI, Malinga bowled one short. Reading the ball early, ABD got into the position and hammered it over deep mid-wicket for a 108-meter six. That hit was the longest of the season.
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9. IPL 2016: Ben Cutting-117m
During the final of 2016 IPL between SRH and RCB, Ben Cutting of SRH set the stage on fire on the big day. When Cutting was batting on 16 in the final over, Shane Watson of RCB bowled a full-toss. Cutting pummelled the cherry high over the deep square leg to clear the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. The ball travelled a distance of 117 meters to become the longest six of the season. Some finish, eh!
10. IPL 2017: Travis Head-109m
Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2017 IPL, the southpaw from Australia hit KKR's Umesh Yadav for a 109-meter six over long on to hit one of the flood-light pillars at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. That hit went on to top the chart of longest sixes of that season.
11. IPL 2018: AB De Villiers- 111m
It’s Mr.360 again. This time in the 11th over of the 24th match of IPL 11 between RCB and CSK, de Villiers hit his compatriot Imran Tahir over mid-wicket for a monstrous 111 meters long six. The cherry sailed over the top-tier of Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore to become the biggest of the season.
12. IPL 2019: MS Dhoni- 111m
It was the MSD show in the 2019 IPL. His 111m six in the final over of the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore will forever be etched in fans' memories. He took Umesh Yadav apart by scoring 27 runs in the final over and won the match with the ball to spare. In the process he hit the longest six of the tournament. Captain Cool indeed.
13. IPL 2020: Nicholas Pooran-106m
Kings XI Punjab's hard-hitter Nicholas Pooran has been found slamming the biggest sixes of them all. He not only smashed the longest six of IPL 2020 but also the second longest six too. His 106m maximum, the longest of this edition so far, came during King XI Punjab’ four-wicket loss in Sharjah that saw 449 runs being scored.
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