Breaking 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle's nine-year-old record, compatriot Nicholas Pooran put up a big-hitting clinic en route getting to 139 T20 sixes in 2024, the most by any batter in a calendar year. Pooran clobbered nine sixes in a rollicking 97-run knock off just 43 balls in a Caribbean Premier League match between Trinbago Knight Riders and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. (More Cricket News)
With four months still to go in 2024, Pooran has already amassed four more maximums than Gayle's 135 in 2015. The West Indian wicketkeeper-batter had never struck more than 100 sixes in a calendar year before this but his scintillating form in the T20 format this year is paying rich dividends.
In the list of most T20 sixes hit in a year, six of the top-10 entries belong to Gayle. And it is the first time that Pooran has broken into the top-10, which also features Andre Russell (101 sixes in 2019), Glenn Phillips (97 maximums in 2021) and Kieron Pollard (96 sixes in 2019).
| Player | Sixes | Year |
| Nicholas Pooran | 139* | 2024 |
| Chris Gayle | 135 | 2015 |
| Chris Gayle | 121 | 2012 |
| Chris Gayle | 116 | 2011 |
| Chris Gayle | 112 | 2016 |
| Chris Gayle | 101 | 2017 |
| Andre Russell | 101 | 2019 |
| Chris Gayle | 100 | 2013 |
| Glenn Phillips | 97 | 2021 |
| Kieron Pollard | 96 | 2019 |
Pooran surpassed Gayle's record in the 12th over of the CPL 2024 match, when he went down on one knee and slogged left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi over the leg-side boundary for his sixth six of the night. The dashing southpaw also brought up his half-century in just 21 balls.
In terms of balls per six, Pooran has hit 139 sixes off 1145 balls in 2024 so far. That comes up to 8.23 balls per six, while Gayle had a rate of 7.50 balls per maximum for his record, as he faced 1012 deliveries for his 135 sixes in 2015. Pooran's sixes have come from 57 innings in 2024, as against Gayle's 36 innings in 2015.
Furthermore, Pooran has now clubbed 551 overall sixes in T20s, which is the fourth-highest of all time in the format. Just like their dominance in the calendar year list, the top three spots all go to Pooran's fellow West Indies batters - Gayle (1056), Pollard (877) and Russell (704).
