Ayush Badoni, a rising star in Indian cricket and a prominent player for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has etched his name in the record books by smashing 19 sixes in a single T20 match. This incredible feat occurred during the ongoing Delhi Premier League (DPL), where Badoni is captaining the South Delhi Superstarz.
In a high-octane match against the North Delhi Strikers, Badoni unleashed a barrage of sixes, breaking the previous record held by West Indies legend Chris Gayle. Gayle’s record of 18 sixes in a T20 match was set during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in 2017, where he played for Rangpur Riders against Dhaka Dynamites. Badoni’s stunning performance not only broke this record but also propelled his team to a massive total of 308 runs.
In an exclusive conversation with SportsTak, Badoni revealed his surprise at achieving this milestone. “I didn’t know about Chris Gayle’s record because I knew about his 175-run record,” Badoni said, referring to Gayle’s legendary innings in the IPL where he scored 175 runs, the highest individual score in T20 cricket. Badoni himself fell just short of this mark, scoring 165 runs, but his innings was enough to set a new record for most sixes in a single T20 innings.
When asked about his future in the IPL and his thoughts on retention, Badoni appeared focused on the present. “But I am not thinking about retention and I have no idea about the number of people in it,” he stated. He also expressed his admiration for LSG skipper KL Rahul, describing him as a mentor and an elder brother. “He is a good captain, we talk a lot. He is like an elder brother to me. He explains a lot of things to me on the field and off the field also. I like to play in his captaincy,” Badoni added.
Badoni also spoke about the influence of Gautam Gambhir, the current India head coach and former mentor at LSG. He credited Gambhir for instilling a competitive and fearless attitude in him. “He used to explain a lot to me. I learnt a lot from him but his main thing is to be competitive and fearless. So I learnt from him and I try to do that in the match as well,” Badoni explained.
The match not only saw individual brilliance from Badoni but also a collective team effort. The South Delhi Superstarz, under Badoni’s leadership, smashed 30 sixes in the innings, setting a new record for the most sixes by a team in a T20 match. The previous record was 26 sixes, achieved by Nepal during their Asia Cup 2023 match against Mongolia.
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