IPL 2026 has already produced 1,370 sixes, setting a new high for the tournament’s calendar year so far. That total is 76 more than the sixes recorded in the previous season at the same stage, and 110 ahead of the season before that, with three matches still left to be played.
As the frequency of big hits keeps rising, the novelty of a six can start to fade. These days, a truly unforgettable one usually needs something extra—something so special that it leaves even Virat Kohli stunned, momentarily covering his mouth with his hand and cutting off any chance of viewers catching what he might be thinking.
Rajat Patidar delivered exactly that on Tuesday night. The decisive moment came off a good-length ball from Kagiso Rabada, aimed around the fifth-stump line. It was the kind of pitch-borne delivery that a top batter can meet early and drive through the field. Patidar’s execution looked deceptively still—his balance stayed calm as he transferred weight to his back foot and opened his hips. The contact, however, wasn’t the usual cover-driving “through” the region. He struck it over the covers, with the bat continuing across his left shoulder, turning it into a full-bodied drive rather than a mere punch.
The ball flew and kept flying—clearing the boundary cushions, the digital advertisement boards, the camera operators’ area, and even about ten rows of stands before it finally disappeared into the crowd.
Did the thinner, rarified air in Dharamsala help it travel farther than it might elsewhere? Perhaps. But the real point was the shot itself. Rewatch the replay from square-on to appreciate the balance: Patidar arches back as he rises onto the tips of his toes. Notice too how his carefully styled, tinted hair spills from his golden helmet and shifts with the swing as the bat meets the ball—almost as if he planned the look for that exact moment.
That strike was the sixth six of Patidar’s innings. It moved him to 61 off 22 deliveries—an impressive figure in any situation, and especially striking given the day’s conditions.
Patidar’s batting often comes in two distinct shapes. There are innings where it looks as though he can dispatch sixes with ease, and others where he departs early. Spending long stretches in the middle while struggling to find timing is something that rarely happens to him.
Tuesday night was one of those uncommon cases where the script flipped. Dharamsala offered up a pitch that looked cracked and slightly two-paced for Qualifier 1, and the bowlers found enough to make it skid through at times from length, while also getting it to grip and kick on at other moments. After a 76-run powerplay, Royal Challengers Bengaluru began to feel the surface—posting only 52 for 2 between overs 7 and 13. Patidar had been out there for much of that phase and looked noticeably unlike himself.
Then the Gujarat Titans (GT) attack gave him two chances in the 14th over. One was a lofted attempt that carried off the edge. The other came from a pull that didn’t quite find the middle of the bat. The second opportunity became a simple chance at deep square-leg, where Rabada failed to hold on. By the start of the 15th over, Patidar had powered his way to 22 off 14 balls, though it hadn’t yet translated into consistent sweet-spot impact.
After that, something changed. A click happened. Patidar’s rhythm returned. He moved from 22 off 14 to 61 off 22, and from there to an unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls.
From a scrappy beginning, his innings turned incandescent. He struck sixes in every direction, against different lengths and different types of bowling. He cleared extra-cover with a good-length ball off Rashid Khan. He sliced a low full-toss from Mohammed Siraj over backward point, finishing with a one-handed follow-through. And when he shifted onto his back foot and opened his hips—the foundation for many of his shots—he manufactured a bottom-handed shovel-drive straight down the ground, smashing a near-yorker from Prasidh Krishna.
By the time it was over, Patidar had compiled the quickest of the five 90-plus totals in IPL 2026 so far, reaching that mark at a strike rate of 281.81. During his 93* off 33, RCB’s other batters and extras contributed a further 68 runs from 37 balls.
For Patidar, this performance was the peak of an otherwise extraordinary season—one in which he has been lifting expectations for middle-order hitters across the IPL. In the middle overs (7 to 16), he has scored at a strike rate of 206.66. Among the 50 batters who have reached at least 100 runs in that phase, only three—Finn Allen, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Ryan Rickelton—have been faster. Notably, all three are openers.
The next quickest non-opener on that list is Ishan Kishan, who has been scoring at 185.50 in the same middle-overs window. In terms of runs per over, Patidar’s rate has been more than a run an over quicker than the best non-opener behind him.
Watching Patidar bat—and hearing how he described his innings—almost gives the impression that he approaches the middle overs with the mindset of a powerplay batter. It’s a blend of strong belief in his methods, near-total disregard for risk, and exceptional ability to strike the ball cleanly. He is especially well known for handling spin aggressively, yet Tuesday proved he can also demolish pace when the timing is right.
On days like this, it can feel difficult for an opponent to find a bowler or a plan that truly shuts Patidar down. He is so effective against spin turning either way that GT chose to remove Rashid from the attack when Patidar walked in, despite Rashid having figures of 0 for 8 across two overs at that point. When Rashid was brought back later, Patidar underlined their concern by hitting two sixes in the 16th over.
And even then, it may not be enough when you’re up against a top-tier fast bowler in his best rhythm. GT could turn to someone as good as Rabada, delivering perfectly serviceable balls, yet it simply didn’t stop the damage.
In the end, all that remains is to stare—open-jawed, hand near the mouth—and watch the ball sail away into the stands.
