4 players to hit the first three balls of their innings for a six in the IPL ft. Pat Cummins

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is known for batters scoring big runs and hitting multiple sixes all over the park. With better batting wickets, six-hitting has become much easier for batters in the modern T20 game.

There may have been instances of batters hitting the first ball of their innings for a six in the IPL and getting off the mark in style. However, have batters hit consecutive sixes of their first few deliveries in this league?

Well, Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins, in the ongoing 2025 edition of the league, smashed a hat-trick of sixes off the first three balls he faced in the match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Although it sounds fascinating, this feat has not been achieved for the first time in the IPL and has already happened on a few other occasions as well. Let us look at four such players who hit the first three balls of their innings out of the park of maximums in the cash-rich league.

---

4 players to hit the first three balls of their innings for a six in the IPL

#4 Sunil Narine

Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Source: Getty

During the 2021 IPL clash between KKR and RCB in Sharjah, KKR all-rounder Sunil Narine smashed three sixes off the very first three deliveries he faced. He came out to bat at No.5 in the 12th over, with Daniel Christian bowling.

Narine got off the mark in style, smacking his first ball for a six to fine-leg. The very next ball, he hit another six over deep midwicket before hitting his third ball as well for a six over long-off.

---

#3 Nicholas Pooran

Rajasthan Royals Vs Lucknow Super Giants In Jaipur - Source: Getty

The Lucknow Super Giants played the SunRisers Hyderabad in the 2023 edition of the IPL. They were chasing a total of 183 when Nicholas Pooran walked out to bat in the 16th over being bowled by Abhishek Sharma.

The left-hander began his innings with a maximum over deep midwicket. He smashed another straight six off the second ball and did not stop there. Pooran then sat down on one knee to smash his third delivery for a six over midwicket, as Abhishek eventually conceded 31 runs off the over.

---

#2 MS Dhoni

IPL Qualifier - Mumbai v Chennai - Source: Getty

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni also features on this list. Dhoni and hitting sixes at the death go with each other, and something similar happened when CSK faced the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024.

CSK were batting first and Hardik Pandya bowled the final over of their innings with Dhoni walking in to bat after Daryl Mitchell was dismissed off the second ball. The former India skipper began in typical fashion, smashing a six over long-off on his very first ball. He then slammed another flat six over long-off before flicking a six over square-leg to make it three consecutive sixes off his first three deliveries.

---

#1 Pat Cummins

2025 IPL - Sunrisers Hyderabad v Rajasthan Royals - Source: Getty

Pat Cummins could appear to many as a rather unlikely name on this list. However, the SunRisers Hyderabad skipper does have the ability to smack a few out of the park. In the IPL 2025 match against the Lucknow Super Giants, Cummins got on strike for the first time on the fifth ball of the 17th over during Hyderabad's batting.

He got off the mark with a six over sweeper cover off Shardul Thakur's bowling. On the final delivery off the over, he hit another six over long-off to make it two in a row. As he got on strike for his third ball in the 18th over against Avesh Khan, he smashed a third six straight down the ground to make three consecutive sixes in his first three deliveries.