In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2021, Meghalaya captain Punit Bisht entered the record books after he smashed 17 sixes in his scintillating knock against Mizoram on Wednesday afternoon.
Bisht slammed a blistering 51-ball 146, which included six fours as well to take Meghalaya to a huge 130-run win.
In the process, the former Delhi wicketkeeper-batsman created a new record for most sixes hit by an Indian in T20 cricket beating Shreyas Iyer’s record of 15 sixes in 2019. Bisht’s unbeaten 146 was also the second-highest score in the history of SMAT after Iyer’s 147.
West Indies giant Chris Gayle holds the record for most sixes in a T20 inning as he smashed 18 maximums in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for the Rangpur Riders against Dhaka Dynamites.
Most sixes in an inning (T20):
- 18 – Chris Gayle (146*), in BPL 2017
- 17 – Chris Gayle (175*), in IPL 2013
- 17 – Punit Bisht (146*), in SMAT 2021
It was also the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper-batsman in the history of T20 cricket, surpassing KL Rahul’s record of unbeaten 132 for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in IPL 2020.
Highest score by an Indian wicket-keeper in T20 cricket:
- 146* – Punit Bisht for Meghalaya, 2021
- 132* – KL Rahul for KXIP, 2020
- 129 – Wriddhiman Saha for Bengal, 2019
Opting to bat, Meghalaya lost opener DB Ravi Teja (7) in the third over after he added 27 runs with Yogesh Tiwari (53). One run later, Dippu Sangma was dismissed after which Bisht walked in and demolished Mizoram’s bowling.
Bisht reached his half-century in 26 balls and went on to hammer 94 runs in the next 25 balls, driving Meghalaya to 230/6 in 20 overs.
In reply, the Mizoram batsmen looked completely out of touch as only three batsmen reached double figures. In the end, Mizoram could only manage to reach 100/9 in their allotted 20 overs, losing the contest by 130 runs.
