Sunrisers Hyderabad hold the record for most sixes by a team in a single IPL season, smashing 178 sixes in IPL 2024. That benchmark broke an 8-year-old mark set by RCB in 2016.
This guide breaks down every IPL franchise’s best season for sixes, the year-wise chart-toppers since 2008, and the batters who made it happen. Expect numbers, context, and a few surprises along the way.
IPL Most Sixes in a Season by Team: Quick Summary
SRH’s 178 sixes in 2024 remain the all-time benchmark for team-wise sixes in a single IPL season. Every other franchise trails by at least 13 maximums. Here’s the tally at a glance before we break each team down.
| Rank | Team | Most Sixes (Season) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 178 | 2024 |
| 2 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 165 | 2024 |
| 3 | Chennai Super Kings | 145 | 2018 |
| 4 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 143 | 2019 |
| 5 | Mumbai Indians | 140 | 2023 |
| 6 | Rajasthan Royals | 137 | 2022 |
| 7 | Delhi Capitals | 135 | 2024 |
| 8 | Punjab Kings | 127 | 2014 |
| 9 | Gujarat Titans | ~95 | 2022 |
| 10 | Lucknow Super Giants | ~120 | 2023 |
| 11 | Deccan Chargers (defunct) | 99 | 2009 |
Here is the Breakdown for the top 3 teams with the most sixes.
1. Sunrisers Hyderabad (178 Sixes, IPL 2024): The Current Record Holder
SRH smashed 178 sixes across 16 matches in IPL 2024, a mark the franchise itself calls a new benchmark. Their opening pair of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma turned routine powerplays into carnage.
Abhishek Sharma alone contributed 42 maximums to win the Most Sixes award for IPL 2024. He picked up a ₹10 lakh prize for it, which must have felt like small change after the ride SRH gave fans that year.
They broke the single-season record on May 8, 2024, in a 10-wicket thrashing of Lucknow Super Giants at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, where Head and Sharma chased 167 in 9.4 overs.
Why SRH’s 2024 Number Is Hard to Beat
- Five 250-plus totals in one season, including the IPL-record 287/3 vs RCB at Chinnaswamy
- Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Reddy formed a middle order that rarely slowed down once openers set the platform
- Fastest 150+ run chase in IPL history, including the most runs ever scored in the first 10 overs of a T20 innings
2. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (165 Sixes, IPL 2024)
RCB hit 165 sixes in IPL 2024 across 15 matches, the second-highest team tally for a single IPL season. RCB and SRH were the only sides to breach the 150-six mark in the same edition, a first in 17 years of IPL history.
Virat Kohli finished as the season’s top run-scorer with 741 runs and briefly led the individual sixes chart before Abhishek Sharma overtook him. Faf du Plessis and Will Jacks chipped in with regular maximums across the campaign.
RCB’s previous team best was 142 sixes in IPL 2016, when they reached the final and Kohli scored a record 973 runs. The 2024 number surpassed the old mark despite RCB playing one fewer match than SRH.
3. Chennai Super Kings (145 Sixes, IPL 2018)
CSK’s best haul came during their 2018 title-winning campaign with 145 sixes. That edition marked the franchise’s return after a two-year suspension, and MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Shane Watson, and Dwayne Bravo collectively punished spinners in flat Chennai conditions.
CSK also led the IPL 2010 six charts with 97 and topped the 2021 list with 115. Their tactical pattern is clear: they typically peak in title years. Interestingly, IPL 2025 saw CSK hit only 79 sixes in 11 games, their worst aerial season in a decade.
Defunct Teams: Best Six Totals from Retired Franchises
Among defunct IPL teams, Deccan Chargers hit the highest single-season six tally with 99 maximums in IPL 2009. Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, and Andrew Symonds powered that title-winning run.
| Defunct Team | Seasons Played | Best Season Sixes | Peak Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deccan Chargers | 2008-2012 | 99 | 2009 |
| Rising Pune Supergiant | 2016-2017 | 85 | 2017 |
| Gujarat Lions | 2016-2017 | 80 | 2016 |
| Pune Warriors India | 2011-2013 | 70 | 2012 |
| Kochi Tuskers Kerala | 2011 | 53 | 2011 |
Figures for RPS, GL, PWI, and KTK are approximate, sourced from ZAP Cricket compilations and purplecapipl.com historical data. These teams played limited seasons, so aggregates are naturally lower. Kochi Tuskers, for instance, played only 14 matches before being terminated.
Year-wise Team Six-Hitting Leaders (2008-2025)
Here’s the team that topped the six charts in every IPL season. Notice how numbers have steadily climbed since 2018, when 872 total sixes were struck across the league. IPL 2025 set an all-time record of 1,294 sixes across all teams.
| Year | Team with Most Sixes | Sixes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Punjab Kings | 95 |
| 2009 | Deccan Chargers | 99 |
| 2010 | Chennai Super Kings | 97 |
| 2011 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 94 |
| 2012 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 117 |
| 2013 | Mumbai Indians | 117 |
| 2014 | Punjab Kings | 127 |
| 2015 | Mumbai Indians | 120 |
| 2016 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 142 |
| 2017 | Mumbai Indians | 117 |
| 2018 | Chennai Super Kings | 145 |
| 2019 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 143 |
| 2020 | Mumbai Indians | 137 |
| 2021 | Chennai Super Kings | 115 |
| 2022 | Rajasthan Royals | 137 |
| 2023 | Mumbai Indians | 140 |
| 2024 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 178 |
| 2025 | Punjab Kings (approx.) | ~155 |
Why IPL Team Six Counts Keep Climbing
Four structural changes have pushed Team Six tallies past the 150-mark in recent seasons. Understanding these trends explains why records have fallen in 2024 and 2025.
1. Impact Player Rule
Since 2023, teams can swap an Impact Player mid-match, adding batting depth. This lets sides like SRH bat deeper and attack from ball one. Before the rule, genuine finishers had to balance risk. Now, with a fresh batter available, the premium on survival has dropped.
2. Flatter Pitches and Smaller Grounds
Venues like Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru) and Eden Gardens (Kolkata) have short boundaries and true bounce. RCB and KKR benefit at home, but traveling teams also cash in. The pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium was notably flat in 2024.
3. Player Pool Shift
Modern top orders are stacked with T20 specialists like Travis Head, Nicholas Pooran, Heinrich Klaasen, and Abhishek Sharma. These batters don’t bother with rotation; they hunt maximums from the powerplay. Uncapped Indian players like Priyansh Arya and Vaibhav Suryavanshi have joined the party with fearless batting.
4. Lost Art of Containment
Teams now prioritize wicket-taking bowlers over economical ones. With matches decided by a handful of overs, a 10-run over is often acceptable if the bowler picks up a wicket. That tradeoff has inflated six counts further.
Key Six-Hitters Behind Each Team’s Best Season
Team six records are almost always driven by two or three batters in peak form. Here’s who mattered most in each franchise’s best year.
| Team (Best Season) | Key Six-Hitters | Season Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| SRH (178 in 2024) | Abhishek Sharma (42), Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head | Fastest 10-over total ever |
| RCB (165 in 2024) | Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Faf du Plessis | Kohli won the Orange Cap (741 runs) |
| CSK (145 in 2018) | MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo | Won the title on return after suspension |
| KKR (143 in 2019) | Andre Russell (52), Chris Lynn, Dinesh Karthik | Russell’s career-best season |
| MI (140 in 2023) | Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green, Tim David | Reached Qualifier 2 |
| RR (137 in 2022) | Jos Buttler (45), Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer | Buttler won the Orange Cap (863 runs) |
| DC (135 in 2024) | Jake Fraser-McGurk (20), Rishabh Pant, Tristan Stubbs | Fastest fifty of the season |
| PBKS (127 in 2014) | Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, George Bailey | Maxwell named Player of the Tournament |
Context: Record Team Totals and Six-Heavy Matches
Record-breaking six totals often coincide with record team scores. Sunrisers’ 287/3 vs RCB in IPL 2024 remains the highest team total in IPL history, including 22 sixes in a single innings.
- 287/3 – SRH vs RCB at Chinnaswamy (2024), highest team total in IPL history
- 262 chased – PBKS vs KKR at Eden Gardens (2024), the highest successful run chase in T20 history
- 42 sixes in the KKR-PBKS match, the most in any T20 fixture ever played
- 17 sixes – Chris Gayle’s 175* for RCB vs Pune Warriors (2013), most in one innings
Also Read:
SRH’s 178 sixes in IPL 2024 are the team-wise record to beat!
SRH’s 178 sixes in IPL 2024 is the team-wise record to beat, and no franchise has come within 13 maximums of it since. Every team has a peak season worth remembering, from RCB’s 165 in 2024 to Deccan Chargers’ 99 in 2009.
With Impact Players, flatter pitches, and fearless batters redefining T20 cricket, expect these numbers to climb again. Keep an eye on SRH, PBKS, and RCB as IPL 2026 unfolds. A 200-six season might just be around the corner.
