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Gayle retired with a career total of 1056 T20 sixes. He remains miles ahead of Pollard who takes second place with 897 sixes.
Chris Gayle was the first and still the only person to reach the landmark. (Image: ICC/X, formerly Twitter)
Four years back, on this day (October 30), Chris Gayle reached a historic milestone. The West Indies superstar was an absolute phenom on the cricket pitch throughout his career. One of the hardest hitters in the game, Gayle broke several records when it came to driving the ball over the boundary ropes. He produced another such spectacle in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against the Rajasthan Royals.
Representing the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) the Gayle storm struck once again. He racked up multiple maximums to surpass the tally of 1000 sixes in T20 cricket history.
He was the first, and still, the only person to reach the landmark. He achieved it at the age of 41.
Chris Gayle is one of the sport’s most recognisable faces. Apart from his ball-smashing abilities, the West Indies cricketer was also recognised for his lovable persona and overwhelming aura. IPL fans were not new to Gayle’s antics in the competition. But his impressive feat against the Rajasthan Royals in 2020 pushed him into an elite class.
Competing at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Kings XI Punjab found themselves in trouble after their opener Mandeep Singh departed in the game’s first over. What followed next went on to become a memorable part of T20 cricket history. Chris Gayle came down to bat and built a formidable partnership with his skipper KL Rahul.
The West Indies star racked up 99 runs facing 63 deliveries during the game. He smashed six boundaries and a whopping eight sixes against the Rajasthan Royals. His knock helped Punjab put together a total of 185.
Chris Gayle thumped his 1001st T20 six against Jofra Archer in the final over of the innings. Gayle was eventually bowled out in the second successive delivery by the England speedster. It led to the West Indies icon missing out on what would have been his 23rd T20 century.
Despite the impressive batting heroics of Gayle, the Kings XI Punjab just could not keep the Rajasthan Royals’ batters under pressure. A couple of super-fast knocks from Sanju Samson and Ben Stokes ensured a seven-wicket victory for the inaugural winners of the tournament.
Chris Gayle retired from the IPL in 2021 with Kings XI Punjab being his last franchise. Gayle retired with a career total of 1056 T20 sixes, a testimony to his playing style and power-hitting abilities. He remains miles ahead of Kieron Pollard who takes second place with 897 sixes. Andre Russell rounds off the top three with 717 sixes in T20 cricket history.
