IPL 2020: 3 Indians who won the 'Most sixes in a season' award in the history of the league
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) initiated the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 with an aim of promoting T20 cricket in the country. Over the years, India has found some of the cleanest hitters of the ball like Hardik Pandya from the IPL. In the 12 seasons till 2019, 3 Indians have been successful in winning the award for the 'Most sixes in a season'. Chris Gayle, know for his monstrous boundary clearers has won this award thrice. Here's a look at the 3 Indian players who won this award in IPL history.
#3 Rishabh Pant (2018)
The Delhi Daredevils (DD) did not achieve much success in the 2018 edition of IPL as they failed to make it to the playoffs. However there were a few bright spots in their campaign and one was the left-handed wicket-keeper batsman from Uttarakhand - Rishabh Pant. He grabbed the headlines with some incredible performances in IPL 2018.
He featured in all 14 matches for Delhi, aggregating 684 runs at an impressive average of 52.61. Pant had an exhilarating strike rate of 173.60 that year and his 37 sixes played a major role in raising his rate of accumulating runs.
#2 Virat Kohli (2016)
Except the IPL trophy, Virat Kohli won every award in the batting department with his stellar performances in 2016. He shattered the record for the most runs in a single season by scoring 973 runs. He also became the first batsman to hit 4 centuries in the same season. Kohli had an outstanding average of 81.08 that year.
He guided Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to the IPL final where they fell short against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kohli struck 38 sixes in the competition to win the award. Till date, the current Indian skipper holds the record for the most sixes by an Indian batsman in a single IPL season.
#1 Robin Uthappa (2010)
Very few fans may remember that Robin Uthappa won the award in IPL 2010 with 27 maximums in 16 matches. The right-handed batsman from Karnataka played an integral role in RCB's journey to the semi-finals as he scored 374 runs at an average of 31.16. The statistical highlight of his IPL 2010 campaign was his strike rate of 171.55.
Uthappa could not perform up to the mark in IPL 2009 as he aggregated only 175 runs in 15 games at a disappointing strike rate of 102.94. Hence he was under pressure to perform well in IPL 2010 and the current Rajasthan Royals player brought his 'A' game to the table. He edged Murali Vijay by just one six to win the award.
Surprisingly, the top 5 of the 'Maximum Sixes' leaderboard of IPL 2010 featured Indian players only. Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, and Saurabh Tiwary were the other names present on the list.
#Note: All statistics are as of 23 March 2020