IPL: KL Rahul becomes first batter with this sixes milestone
What's the story
KL Rahul has made history by becoming the first player ever to hit 30-plus sixes in a single Indian Premier League (IPL) season for three different teams. The record was achieved during Delhi Capitals's last league match of the ongoing IPL 2026 season against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Sunday. Rahul scored a match-winning 60 runs off just 30 balls, hitting four sixes in the process.
Team transitions
Rahul's previous campaigns with 30-plus sixes
Rahul has played for several IPL teams, including Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants. He had previously crossed the 30 sixes mark in a single season while playing for Punjab Kings in 2018 (32 sixes in 14 matches) and 2021 (30 sixes in 13 matches). He also did it with Lucknow Super Giants in 2022 (30 sixes in 15 matches). Rahul has overall clocked 239 maximums across 159 IPL matches.
Season stats
Second-most sixes in a single season for Delhi Capitals
In the ongoing IPL 2026 season, Rahul has already hit a total of 31 sixes in 14 matches for Delhi Capitals. This puts him second on the all-time list of most sixes hit in an IPL season for Delhi Capitals. He is only behind Rishabh Pant who hit a whopping 37 sixes in 14 matches during IPL 2018. Meanwhile, Rahul finished IPL 2026 with 593 runs at an average of 45.61 in IPL 2026. The Indian batter has a strike rate of 174.41, his highest in a season (100: 1, 50s: 5).
Historical context
Only Gayle and Maxwell had achieved this feat previously
Before Rahul, only Chris Gayle and Glenn Maxwell had hit 30-plus sixes in a single IPL season for multiple teams. Gayle did it while playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings between 2011 and 2019, respectively. Maxwell achieved the same feat for Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2014 and 2023, respectively.