The 'Maximum' men of IPL

He has been the most prolific six-hitter in the IPL, and Kings XI Punjab opener Chris Gayle is at it in 2018 as well. Gayle has played only four matches so far but already has 23 sixes - the joint highest with de Villiers and Andre Russell - under his belt.

Just how productive IPL 2018 has been in terms number of sixes hit can be gauged from the fact that Glenn Maxwell and David Warner with 26 sixes apiece topped the chart in 2017 whereas M.S. Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu - at the halfway stage - have hit 20 sixes so far and are most likely to eclipse last year's record by some margin.

Gayle, meanwhile, is showing no signs of letting up. The Carribbean giant, with his 288 maximums from 105 games, also holds the record for highest number of sixes hit in one season - 59 in 2012 - and has led the tally in 2011 (44), 2013 (51) and 2015 (38). With Kings XI slated to play a minimum of seven more games this season, only time will tell whether Gayle will outdo himself. 

Robin Uthappa and Virat Kohli are the only Indians to lead the list,the KKR batsman achieving the feat in 2010 with 27 sixes and the RCB skipper in 2016 with 38.

In between 2011 and 2017, there have been a total of 4788 sixes hit in the IPL.

(Record updated till May 2, 2018)

TOP 3 SIX-HITTERS FROM EACH SEASON