KL Rahul made IPL history by becoming the fastest Indian, and the third-fastest overall, to hit 200 sixes in the Indian Premier League. The Delhi Capitals wicketkeeper-batter achieved the milestone in just 129 innings during Saturday’s match against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Only two players in the history of the league have done it faster: West Indies legends Chris Gayle, who bludgeoned his way to 200 sixes in just 69 innings and Andre Russell, who did it in 97. Rahul now surpasses Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson, who previously held the Indian record with 159 innings.
Rahul’s milestone six came with his first big hit of the match, a signature clean strike that showed his consistency and flair in the format. Reflecting on the achievement, he said, “Very happy at the moment, ICC victories are not so easy to get.”
He now joins a club that includes AB de Villiers (137 innings), MS Dhoni (165), Virat Kohli (180), Rohit Sharma (185) and Suresh Raina (193), all of whom needed more time to reach the mark.
With 200 sixes and counting, Rahul also cements his place among the league’s most destructive hitters. As of now, Gayle leads the all-time sixes tally with 357, followed by Rohit Sharma (286) and Kohli (282).
KL Rahul began his IPL journey with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2013 but didn’t clear the ropes even once that season. He then moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, hitting just 8 sixes in 20 matches. It wasn’t until IPL 2016 that Rahul found his range, smashing 16 sixes. After missing the 2017 season, Rahul’s purple patch began in 2018 with a stellar 659-run season for Punjab Kings, which included 32 sixes. He followed it up with 25, 23, and 30 sixes in the next three seasons.
From 2022 to 2024, Rahul represented Lucknow Super Giants, hitting 53 sixes and leading the team to two playoff appearances as captain. Ahead of IPL 2025, Rahul was picked up by Delhi Capitals in the mega-auction. So far, he has hit 13 sixes for his new franchise.