Indian Premier League has completely changed the way batsmen approach the game over the years. It has also largely impacted international cricket and other formats as well. Given the fast pace of the IPL (20 over) format, it is often required from the batsmen to accelerate their innings very quickly. 

This comes in handy mainly in the death overs when the teams have to score at a very quick rate. And among these, the 20th over is the most challenging one particularly for the bowlers as the batsmen are trying to hit a boundary of every ball most times.

All the teams want some big hitters in their pool who can smash sixes at will in such situations. In this article, let’s tale a look at some of them. The list is mainly dominated by the players who bat down the order. This gives the team a chance to maximize their use for the finishing touch.   

Top 5 batsmen with most sixes in 20th over in IPL history

5. Ravindra Jadeja – 15 Sixes

 Being part of the very first season with Rajasthan Royals, Ravindra Jadeja has been a veteran in the cash-rich league. He was a rookie 19-year old all-rounder then but now, he has established himself as one of the key players of Chennai Super Kings.

Jadeja has scored 210 runs off 110 balls he has faced in the 20th over in the IPL in 12 seasons he has played. This includes a total of 15 sixes, enabling him fifth on the list. Overall, Jadeja has hit 76 sixes in the league.

He has played 184 matches in the tournament and has accumulated 2159 runs at an average of 25.40. Since he gets very less time on the crease, he has been able to manage only a solitary half-century in IPL. He has returned not out to the pavilion 54 times and strikes at a rate of 126.47.

4. Hardik Pandya – 23 Sixes   

Hardik Pandya is considered as one of the best finishers in the IPL right now. Any game is not over until Hardik is on the crease, and he has proved it over and over. The hard-hitting all-rounder was bought by the Mumbai franchise in the 2015 season. He has performed like a shining star right from his debut year.

The talented all-rounder has smashed 23 sixes in the 95 balls he has faced in the final over across different matches of the cash-rich league. He has smacked 233 runs at a strike rate of 245.3 including 15 fours as well.

In total, Hardik has aggregated 1349 runs in 80 IPL matches. He has slammed 93 sixes while playing for Mumbai. His average in these games has been 29.97, while the strike rate reads 159.26. 

3. Rohit Sharma – 23 Sixes

Rohit Sharma has been opening for Mumbai Indians since 2019 but he used to bat in the middle order earlier. Along with being a great opener in limited-overs cricket, he has also proved himself as a potent finisher in earlier years of IPL. He has batted a crucial number 4 spot for the team to strengthen the middle order.

It is often said about Rohit Sharma that once he gets set on the pitch, it is literally impossible for any bowler to stop him. So, it is no surprise that the dashing batsman has a strike rate of 281.80 in the 20th over of IPL. He has scored 248 runs off 88 balls in the final over and has hit 23 sixes in the process. This takes him to the joint third spot in the list along with Hardik Pandya who has a lower strike rate in comparison to Rohit.

Overall, Rohit has smashed 213 maximums in the league, fourth-most by any player. He has aggregated 5230 runs in 200 matches at an average of 31.31. This includes 1 century and 39 half-centuries in total.

2. Kieron Pollard – 27 Sixes

West Indies captain Kieron Pollard who recently smashed 6 sixes in an over has been among the most crucial players of Mumbai Indians over the years. The veteran cricketer has played more than 500 games in T20 cricket and has registered 10000+ runs in the shortest format.

In the 156 balls Pollard has faced in the 20th over of IPL, he has sent 27 of them over the ropes for the maximums. His strike rate has been 219.2 during these games with 342 runs coming from the bat. 

Pollard has featured in 164 IPL games so far, in which he has hit 198 sixes enabling him to be at sixth position in the overall list. He has amassed 3023 runs at an average of 29.93 and strike rate of 149.87.

1. MS Dhoni – 49 Sixes

The first name that comes to our mind when we hear the word finisher is MS Dhoni. The former Indian captain has created his own legacy when it comes to building an innings in the limited-overs format. He has won many IPL matches for Chennai Super Kings from some of the most difficult situations. 

So when it comes to hitting most sixes in the 20th over, it obviously had to be MS Dhoni on the top of the list. The Chennai skipper has smacked 49 sixes in the final over among the 245 balls faced in total. His dominance can be noted from the fact that the second-best in the list has hit 27 sixes. Dhoni strikes at a rate of 241.6 in the last over and has scored 592 runs in the process.

In the overall list, Dhoni is first among Indian players and third in total with 216 maximums in 204 IPL games. He averages 40.99 in the league and strikes at 136.75 per 100 balls. The legend has 23 half-centuries to his name in the tournament.