OTD 2017: Chris Gayle Sets T20 Record with 18 Sixes in BPL Final
Chris Gayle broke his record of 17 sixes against Pune Warriors in a match played during the edition of IPL 2013. Some runs are indeed hard to find on days when a bowling star goes after the batter without any holds barred as the in-form bowler too possesses the excellent swing. Hence during that stage, batters prefer to keep the score ticking by taking singles or doubles mainly without risking hitting boundaries. In contrast, under any playing condition, only some special breeds of batters have enough courage to deal in boundaries and smash the bowler out of the ground for fun. One such batsman associated with six-hitting carnival and still not extinct is former West Indies batting maestro Chris Gayle.
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Even as a retired international player from 2023, ‘Universe Boss’ Gayle continued his firework in the franchise-based format of cricket. Having smacked bowlers for fun in the much-coveted Indian Premier League (IIPL), Gaylestorm hit the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on This Day (December 12) in 2017. And what an achievement it was as the 45-year-old brought up an improbable feat for Rangpur Riders while playing Dhaka Dynamite at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium at Mirpur.
Jamaica-born went haywire on the field, taking the crowd bonkers as he made his way to a thrilling unbeaten 146-run knock off just 69 balls, which was full of six fest. During his whirlwind knock, Chris Gayle hit a mind-boggling 18 sixes. He thus broke his own previous record for hitting most sixes in a T20 innings.
Speaking about Gayle’s knock which came in the last match of BPL 2017 season, he started on a cautious note in the initial 10 overs while hitting just two sixes. But after that stage, the West Indian went all guns blazing to tear apart Dhaka. Besides sixes, the West Indian had five fours in his electrifying innings for Riders.
The other side, in front of the former New Zealand legend Brendon McCullum, supported Gayle so well in scoring 51 runs off 43 balls. Due to their marathon stand, Dhaka were set a stiff target of 207 in 20 overs. In reply to the run chase Shakib Al Hasan-led side only managed 149 runs and lost the match by 57 runs. While Shakib scored 26, Jahurul Islam scored a half-century (50) and remained the top scorer of his side. Gayle’s blitzkrieg resulted in Rangpur Riders lifting their first-ever BPL title.
A long time record was finally equated this year in January, and that was Sahil Chauhan of Estonia. He tailing Chris Gayle’s record by just an inning leveled out this landmark in a T20I game against Cyprus. Chauhan took the bowlers all over the park and smashed 18 sixes while remaining unbeaten at 144* runs in just 41 balls while chasing down the total.
Gayle smashed 17 gargantuan sixes against Pune in the 2013 IPL
Talking of Chris Gayle, this was not the first time he went berserk with his six-hitting act. Gayle then playing for then Royal Challengers Bangalore hit as many as 17 sixes which included few towering ones too in the calendar year of 2013. In IPL-2013 in the match versus Pune Warriors the West Indian completed an unbeaten 175* runs off as little as just 66 deliveries and etched the record book for the top individual score to be posted for a batsman in T20 games history of course.
