No settle-in time. No warm-up. Just a first ball, a full swing, and a six.
Only 11 batters in IPL history have done this.
Across hundreds of debut innings over 19 seasons, barely one player per two years pulled it off.
The latest was Akshat Raghuwanshi.
Playing for Lucknow Super Giants against Mumbai Indians on 4 May 2026 at Wankhede, the 21-year-old faced his first IPL delivery from Will Jacks and sent it 89 metres over long-on.
List of Batters to Hit First Ball 6 on IPL Debut
His name now sits alongside some famous companies. Here’s the complete list of players to hit first ball 6 on IPL debut.
Complete List: Players to Hit First Ball 6 on IPL Debut
Eleven names. Nineteen seasons. This is the full list.
| # | Batter | Team | Opponent | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Quiney | RR | KKR | Cape Town | 2009 |
| 2 | Kevon Cooper | RR | KXIP | Jaipur | 2012 |
| 3 | Andre Russell | DC | RCB | Delhi | 2012 |
| 4 | Carlos Brathwaite | DD | KKR | Kolkata | 2016 |
| 5 | Aniket Choudhary | RCB | SRH | Hyderabad | 2017 |
| 6 | Javon Searles | KKR | PBKS | Indore | 2018 |
| 7 | Siddhesh Lad | MI | KXIP | Wankhede | 2019 |
| 8 | Maheesh Theekshana | CSK | RCB | Pune | 2022 |
| 9 | Sameer Rizvi | CSK | GT | Chennai | 2024 |
| 10 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | RR | LSG | Jaipur | 2025 |
| 11 | Akshat Raghuwanshi | LSG | MI | Wankhede | 2026 |
A Closer Look at the Most Notable Names
- Rob Quiney, 2009 — The First
Quiney opened the whole list in Cape Town during IPL 2009. An Australian opener playing for Rajasthan Royals, he hit KKR’s bowler for six off the first ball he faced. That was more than 15 years ago and the list is still short.
- Andre Russell, 2012 — The One Who Went Furthest
Russell’s debut came for Delhi Capitals against RCB. First ball, six. He’s gone on to build one of the most destructive IPL records of any batter in the tournament’s history. Most of it with KKR. The debut was a preview of everything that followed.
- Carlos Brathwaite, 2016 — Already Fearless
Just weeks after hitting four sixes off Ben Stokes to win the ICC World T20 final, Brathwaite walked out on his IPL debut for Delhi Daredevils and hit KKR for six first ball. His IPL career never matched those Caribbean heights, but this was a statement entrance.
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 2025 — The 14-Year-Old
The youngest player in IPL history, and he cleared the rope first ball. Sooryavanshi’s debut for Rajasthan Royals against LSG in Jaipur was already historic just for his age. That six made it unforgettable.
- Akshat Raghuwanshi, 2026 — The Newest Name
LSG paid 2.20 crore for him at auction. He walked in at a tense point in the innings after Rishabh Pant’s dismissal and made it look easy. One delivery from Will Jacks. One six. One place on this list. There’s an added layer to it: his cricketing idol is Rohit Sharma, who captained the opposing team that day.
Why Is This So Rare?
Debut nerves are real. Every batter who has played at this level has spoken about them. The first ball is not just the first ball; it’s the test of whether you belong.
Most coaches tell debutants to watch the first few deliveries. See the pace. Judge the bounce. Don’t throw your wicket away early.
Hitting a six off ball one goes against every piece of that advice. It takes either total fearlessness or very good reading of a delivery. Usually both.
The fact that only 11 batters have done it in nearly two decades tells you how hard it actually is.
Is the List Growing Faster?
Look at the last three years: Sameer Rizvi in 2024, Sooryavanshi in 2025, Raghuwanshi in 2026.
Three straight seasons with a debutant hitting six off a ball one.
Before that, the list had just one entry between 2019 and 2022 (Theekshana).
It’s possible the recent wave of young, attacking batters coming into the IPL has something to do with the trend.
The league increasingly favours pure hitters, and franchises are picking them younger and bolder.
FAQs
- Q: Who was the first player to hit a six off the first ball of their IPL debut?
A: Rob Quiney, playing for Rajasthan Royals against KKR in Cape Town during IPL 2009.
- Q: How many batters have hit a six on the first ball of their IPL debut?
A: Eleven batters have done it across all IPL seasons up to and including IPL 2026.
- Q: Which was the most recent first-ball six on IPL debut?
A: Akshat Raghuwanshi of LSG hit the most recent one, on 4 May 2026, against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede off Will Jacks.
- Q: Did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit a six on his IPL debut?
A: Yes. He hit the first ball he faced in IPL 2025 for six while playing for Rajasthan Royals against Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur.
- Q: Is Andre Russell on the list of players to hit first ball 6 on IPL debut?
A: Yes. Russell hit six off the first ball of his IPL career playing for Delhi Capitals against RCB in Delhi in 2012.
- Q: Which IPL franchise has produced the most debutants to hit first ball six?
A: Rajasthan Royals and CSK each have two, with RR featuring Rob Quiney (2009) and Kevon Cooper (2012), and CSK featuring Maheesh Theekshana (2022) and Sameer Rizvi (2024).
Conclusion:
Eleven players. One very specific moment each.
These are the batters who hit the first ball 6 on IPL debut — a short list that keeps growing slowly.
Next time a debutant walks out in IPL, you’ll know just how rare it is if they clear the rope on the first ball.
It doesn’t happen often. But when it does, it tends to stick.
Also Check:
About the Author
