Six Fours in an Over in IPL: Rare Boundary Records

The Indian Premier League has produced thousands of sixes, rapid centuries and huge overs, but hitting six fours from six legal deliveries remains one of the tournament’s rarest batting achievements. A batter must find the boundary from every ball without relying on a six, no-ball or extra. It demands placement, timing and the ability to react when the bowler changes line and length.

Through the 2026 IPL season, only three batters have completed the exact feat of hitting six consecutive fours from all six legal balls of one over: Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw and Prabhsimran Singh. Rahane became the first in 2012, Shaw repeated the feat nine years later in 2021, and Prabhsimran joined the exclusive club in 2026.

That rarity makes the record particularly interesting. Plenty of IPL overs have produced 24 or more runs through combinations of fours and sixes, but six consecutive fours require a different type of control. The batter must repeatedly beat the field along the ground or with controlled aerial shots rather than simply clearing the boundary.

Because only three verified instances exist in IPL history through 2026, the detailed section below covers all three rather than adding unverified entries simply to create a five-player list.

Six Fours in an Over in IPL History

Rahane achieved the record in the 14th over of Rajasthan Royals’ innings, Shaw did it in the very first over of a chase, and Prabhsimran completed his six fours during the sixth over of Punjab Kings’ innings.

IPL Batters Who Hit Six Fours in One Over

1. Ajinkya Rahane vs Sreenath Aravind – 2012

Ajinkya Rahane became the first batter in IPL history to hit all six legal deliveries of an over for four.

The record came while playing for Rajasthan Royals against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in 2012.

Rahane was already batting fluently when left-arm seamer Sreenath Aravind came on for the 14th over. What followed was a display of precise boundary hitting rather than uncontrolled power.

Every ball disappeared for four.

The IPL’s own statistical report confirmed that Rahane struck a boundary from every delivery of Aravind’s third over, making him the first player to achieve the feat in the tournament.

Rahane eventually finished unbeaten on 103 from 60 balls. His innings included 12 fours and five sixes and helped Rajasthan reach 195/2.

The performance was significant beyond the six-four over. It was the first century of that IPL season and one of the innings that established Rahane as a leading top-order batter in the competition.

Rajasthan then dismissed RCB for 136 and won by 59 runs.

What makes Rahane’s over particularly memorable is his batting style. He was never known as a pure power hitter in the Chris Gayle or Kieron Pollard mould. Instead, Rahane relied heavily on timing, balance and placement.

That made six consecutive fours a perfect expression of his strengths.

2. Prithvi Shaw vs Shivam Mavi – 2021

Prithvi Shaw became the second IPL batter to hit six fours from six balls when Delhi Capitals faced Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahmedabad in 2021.

Unlike Rahane, who achieved the feat during the middle overs, Shaw did it immediately.

Shivam Mavi bowled the first over of Delhi’s chase.

After a wide to begin proceedings, Shaw struck each of Mavi’s six legal deliveries for four. The sequence gave Delhi an explosive start and put KKR under pressure before the chase had properly begun.

Shaw’s achievement was also the first six-four over recorded during the IPL powerplay.

He did not stop after the record.

Shaw reached his half-century from only 18 balls and eventually scored 82 from 41 deliveries, including 11 fours and three sixes.

Delhi were chasing 155, and Shaw’s opening assault effectively removed much of the pressure. They reached the target in just 16.3 overs and won by seven wickets.

The over demonstrated Shaw’s greatest strength as a T20 opener: his ability to punish even slightly inaccurate new-ball bowling.

Some of the boundaries came from pure timing, while others depended on quick hands and aggressive footwork. Mavi changed his line and length, but Shaw continually found gaps.

That is one reason the feat is so difficult. After two or three boundaries, the bowler knows exactly what the batter is trying to do. Fields can change, lengths can change and defensive lines can be attempted.

Shaw still found six boundaries.

3. Prabhsimran Singh vs Mukesh Kumar – 2026

Prabhsimran Singh became only the third batter in IPL history to hit six fours in an over when Punjab Kings faced Delhi Capitals in Delhi in April 2026.

The Punjab opener attacked Mukesh Kumar during the sixth over of the innings and struck every legal delivery for four.

The over produced exactly 24 runs from the bat and placed Prabhsimran alongside Rahane and Shaw in an extremely exclusive IPL club.

The timing of the assault was also significant.

Because it came in the sixth over, Prabhsimran used the final over of the powerplay to maximum effect. Only two fielders could remain outside the inner circle, so accurate placement carried enormous value.

He finished with 76 from only 26 balls.

By the end of the powerplay, Prabhsimran had raced to 71 from 23 deliveries, underlining how heavily the six-four over influenced his innings.

His performance also showed how the IPL continues to evolve.

Rahane’s feat stood alone for nine years. Shaw then became the second. Five years later, Prabhsimran added his name to the record.

Despite increasingly aggressive batting, however, only three players had managed the exact six-four sequence through 2026.

Famous Boundary Streaks in IPL History

Six fours in an over represent only one form of boundary carnage.

The IPL has seen many overs produce more than 24 runs because batters cleared the ropes instead.

Chris Gayle’s career contained numerous such assaults. His unbeaten 175 for RCB against Pune Warriors in 2013 remains the highest individual score in IPL history, and he regularly produced overs containing multiple sixes.

Ravindra Jadeja famously collected 37 runs from one over against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2021. Harshal Patel bowled that final over, which included five sixes and a four from Jadeja, plus an additional run from a no-ball.

Suresh Raina’s unforgettable 87 from 25 balls against Kings XI Punjab in the 2014 Qualifier also included an extraordinary powerplay assault. Raina repeatedly found the boundary as Chennai Super Kings tried to chase 227.

More recently, modern powerplay hitters such as Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi have made repeated boundary streaks an increasingly important part of IPL batting.

But six fours remain different.

A six can beat every fielder by clearing the rope. A four often requires the batter to identify and hit a specific gap.

Doing that six times in succession demands repeated control.

Ajinkya Rahane’s Historic Six Fours

Rahane’s achievement deserves special attention because he created the record before modern IPL batting became as aggressive as it is today.

Rajasthan started cautiously against RCB in 2012. The first three overs produced only 11 runs, including a maiden from Zaheer Khan.

Rahane gradually accelerated.

By the time Aravind began the 14th over, Rahane was fully settled and able to attack without abandoning his technique.

The six consecutive fours transformed the innings.

IPL’s contemporary coverage described Rahane’s approach as controlled and calculated. He respected RCB’s strongest bowlers and targeted the more favourable matchups instead.

That strategy remains highly relevant in modern T20 cricket.

A batter does not need to attack every bowler. The best innings often come from surviving the difficult matchup and then extracting maximum value when another bowler offers an opportunity.

Rahane’s unbeaten 103 followed exactly that pattern.

The over against Aravind became the explosive centrepiece of a carefully constructed century rather than an isolated slogging burst.

Why Six Fours Can Be Harder Than It Looks

On paper, six fours may appear easier than six sixes.

The batter needs 24 runs rather than 36 and does not have to clear the boundary.

In practice, however, the challenge is enormous.

Once a batter hits two or three fours, the bowling captain can move fielders toward the strongest scoring zones.

The bowler can also change the angle.

A right-arm bowler may move around the wicket. A seamer can target the body, attempt a yorker or push the ball far outside off stump.

The batter must keep adapting.

A mistimed shot may produce only one. A well-hit drive may go directly to a fielder. Even a near-perfect shot can stop inches short of the rope.

That is why thousands of IPL overs have been played but only three verified six-four overs had occurred through 2026.

The Art of Finding Gaps in T20 Cricket

Boundary hitting is not only about power.

Elite batters understand field placement before the bowler begins the run-up.

Reading the Field

A batter should know where every boundary rider is positioned.

If deep point is square, a shot behind the fielder may produce four. If mid-off is inside the circle, hitting over or past that fielder becomes an option.

Great gap hitters process this information almost automatically.

Using the Bowler’s Pace

Not every four requires a powerful swing.

Rahane built much of his batting career around using the pace already on the ball.

A well-timed late cut or square drive can reach the boundary with minimal force because the bowler supplies the speed.

Changing Bat Angles

Modern batters manipulate the face of the bat to access unusual areas.

An open face can guide the ball behind point. Strong wrists can turn a delivery from outside off stump through midwicket.

This makes defensive fields harder to set.

Staying Balanced

Power without balance often produces mishits.

All three IPL batters to record six fours in an over maintained enough control to repeatedly find the rope rather than simply swinging harder after each boundary.

Anticipating the Bowler’s Response

After three boundaries, the fourth delivery is unlikely to be identical to the first.

The batter must anticipate the adjustment.

Will the bowler go short? Full? Wide? Around the wicket?

The ability to stay one step ahead separates a long boundary streak from a two-ball burst.

Six Fours Versus Six Sixes

IPL history has produced extraordinary six-hitting overs, but six fours tell a different batting story.

Six sixes represent maximum power and clean striking.

Six fours often reveal greater use of the entire field.

Rahane, Shaw and Prabhsimran achieved the same statistical result — 24 runs from six legal deliveries — but each used his own style.

Rahane relied heavily on classical timing. Shaw attacked immediately with his fast hands and natural strokeplay. Prabhsimran used the field restrictions of the powerplay and played with modern T20 intent.

Their achievements prove there is more than one way to dominate an IPL over.

FAQs

### Who was the first batter to hit six fours in an IPL over?

Ajinkya Rahane became the first in 2012. He hit Sreenath Aravind for six consecutive fours while playing for Rajasthan Royals against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

How many players have hit six fours in one IPL over?

Three verified players have achieved the feat through the 2026 season: Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw and Prabhsimran Singh.

Who did Prithvi Shaw hit for six fours?

Prithvi Shaw hit Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Shivam Mavi for six fours from the six legal deliveries of the first over in 2021.

### Who became the third batter to hit six fours in an IPL over?

Prabhsimran Singh became the third player when he hit Mukesh Kumar for six consecutive fours during Punjab Kings’ match against Delhi Capitals in 2026.

What did Ajinkya Rahane score in his six-fours match?

Rahane scored an unbeaten 103 from 60 balls against RCB in 2012, helping Rajasthan Royals reach 195/2 and win by 59 runs.

Has anyone hit six sixes in an IPL over?

No batter has hit six sixes from six legal deliveries in a single IPL over through the 2026 season, although several overs have produced more than 30 runs through combinations of sixes, fours and extras.