OTD 2017: Chris Gayle sets new T20 world record with 18 Sixes in BPL Final

Scoring runs sometimes get tough when an in-form bowler darts at the batter in full steam with impeccable swing abilities. Hence during that phase, batters prefer to keep the score ticking by taking singles or doubles mostly without risking hitting boundaries. On the contrary, irrespective of the playing conditions, only a few special breeds of batters muster enough courage to deal in boundaries and smash the bowler out of the ground for fun. One such batter who remained synonymous with six hitting fest was none other than the former West Indies batting legend, Chris Gayle.

Dubbed the ‘Universe Boss', even after retiring from international cricket in 2023, Gayle continued his fireworks in franchise-based cricket. After having smacked bowlers for fun in the coveted Indian Premier League (IIPL), On This Day (December 12) in 2017, Gaylestorm hit the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Notably, the 45-year-old achieved an incredible feat for Rangpur Riders while playing against Dhaka Dynamite at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, situated in Mirpur.

The Jamaica-born made the crowd go bonkers en route to a thrilling unbeaten 146-run knock off just 69 balls, which consisted of a six fest. Notably, during his whirlwind knock, Chris Gayle hit a mind-boggling 18 sixes. Consequently, he ended up breaking his own previous record for hitting most sixes in a T20 innings.

Speaking of Gayle’s knock which happened during the final clash of the BPL 2017 edition, he started cautiously during the first 10 overs while managing to hit just two sixes. However, after that phase, the West Indian went all guns blazing to take Dhaka apart. Besides his sixes, he also scored five fours during his electrifying innings for Riders.

Also Check- Twitter Reactions: Rangpur Riders beat Victoria to claim inaugural Global Super League title

While on the other end, former New Zealand legend Brendon McCullum supported Gayle well by scoring 51 runs off 43 balls. As a result of their marathon stand, Dhaka were set a stiff target of 207 in 20 overs. In reply to the run chase, the Shakib Al Hasan-led side managed to score just 149 runs, thereby losing the game 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.

Also Read- OTD 2014: Virat Kohli takes over as India’s Test Captain in Adelaide

Meanwhile, the long-standing record was finally matched earlier this year in January. Following Chris Gayle’s record closely, batter Sahil Chauhan of Estonia, matched this landmark in a T20I game against Cyprus. During the run chase, Chauhan took the bowlers to the cleaners and blasted 18 sixes while remaining unbeaten on 144* runs in just 41 balls.

Gayle smashed 17 gargantuan sixes against Pune in IPL 2013

Speaking of Chris Gayle, this was not the first time he went berserk with his six-hitting act. Notably, Gayle while representing the then Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), smacked 17 sixes which also included a few towering ones in the year 2013. During the IPL 2013 match against Pune Warriors, the West Indian went on to score an unbeaten 175* runs off just 66 balls and scripted the record for the highest individual score by a batter in the history of T20 games.