by Will Jacks had no warning. Akshat Raghuwanshi walked in at Wankhede on 4 May 2026 with no IPL record to plan against, and hit the first ball he faced 89 metres over long-on.
Jacks is not alone. Across 19 IPL seasons, ten other bowlers have gone through the same experience — conceding a six to a batter on the very first ball of their IPL career.
List of Batsmen to Hit First Ball 6 On IPL Debut
The list of batters to hit first ball 6 on IPL debut has eleven names on it. Here’s how it grew, one entry at a time.
The Full List: Batters to Hit First Ball 6 on IPL Debut
| # | 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 |
Year by Year: How the List Grew
- 2009 — Rob Quiney Opens the Account
The IPL was two years old when Quiney stepped out for the Rajasthan Royals against KKR in Cape Town.
An Australian opener with good hand speed, he hit the first ball of his IPL career for six. Nobody had done it before. He started the whole list.
- 2012 — Two in One Season
IPL 2012 added two names in the same year, which hasn’t happened since.
Kevon Cooper of the West Indies did it first, batting for Rajasthan Royals against KXIP in Jaipur.
Then Andre Russell arrived for the Delhi Capitals against RCB in Delhi and did the same. Two debuts, two first-ball sixes, same season.
Russell’s would prove the more significant of the two. He became one of the most destructive IPL batters ever, spending most of his later career with KKR.
- 2016 — Brathwaite at the Peak of His Powers
Carlos Brathwaite’s IPL debut came when he was at his most feared.
Weeks earlier, he had hit Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes in the ICC World T20 final to win the title for the West Indies.
He arrived in the IPL with that reputation fully intact and opened his account at Kolkata with another first-ball six against KKR.
- 2017 — Choudhary for RCB
Aniket Choudhary debuted for RCB against SRH in Hyderabad and hit the first ball for six. His IPL career didn’t go on to match that entrance, but the moment belongs to him.
- 2018 — Searles Continues the West Indian Run
Javon Searles batted for KKR against PBKS in Indore. First ball, six. He was the fourth West Indian player on this list, which at that point contained six names and was half West Indian.
- 2019 — Lad at Home
Siddhesh Lad grew up in Mumbai. His IPL debut came for the Mumbai Indians against KXIP at Wankhede, his home ground. He hit the first ball for six in front of that crowd. The kind of moment that doesn’t get written in advance.
- 2022 — Theekshana Does It as a Bowler Turned Batter
Maheesh Theekshana is primarily a bowler. He debuted for CSK against RCB in Pune and, when his turn to bat came, hit the first delivery he faced for six. A spinner doing it made this one slightly different from the rest.
- 2024 — Rizvi Signals the New Wave
Sameer Rizvi debuted for CSK against the Gujarat Titans in Chennai. First ball, six. He was one of the more hyped young Indian prospects to enter the IPL that season, and the debut backed up the billing.
- 2025 — Sooryavanshi at 14
Nothing on this list compares to context. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was 14 years old when he debuted for Rajasthan Royals against LSG in Jaipur, making him the youngest IPL player ever. Then he hit the first ball for six. The bowler had no data, no template, nothing to go on. The debut became the moment of IPL 2025.
- 2026 — Raghuwanshi Against His Idol’s Team
LSG’s 2.20 crore signing walked in after Rishabh Pant’s dismissal at a tricky point in the innings. Against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede, facing Will Jacks, Raghuwanshi hit 89 metres over long-on. His idol, Rohit Sharma, was captaining the team on the other side. The irony wasn’t lost on anyone watching.
Three Straight Seasons, Three Young Indian Batters
Rizvi in 2024. Sooryavanshi in 2025. Raghuwanshi in 2026.
Before this run, no Indian-origin batter had done it since Siddhesh Lad in 2019.
The recent back-to-back entries suggest the IPL is now producing a generation of young Indian hitters who play without hesitation from ball one.
Franchises are picking them earlier, backing them in middle-order roles, and sending them in with a clear brief: attack.
FAQs
- Q: Who started the list of batters to hit first ball 6 on IPL debut?
A: Rob Quiney, playing for Rajasthan Royals against KKR in Cape Town during IPL 2009.
- Q: Which season had the most first-ball debut sixes?
A: IPL 2012 had two: Kevon Cooper and Andre Russell, both hit six off the first ball of their IPL debuts in the same season.
- Q: Has any bowler conceded a debut first-ball six twice?
A: Based on the available list, no bowler appears to have conceded a first-ball debut six more than once.
- Q: What is the most recent first-ball six on IPL debut?
A: Akshat Raghuwanshi for LSG against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede on 4 May 2026, off Will Jacks.
- Q: Is Maheesh Theekshana a batter or bowler?
A: Theekshana is primarily a spinner, making his entry on this list one of the more unusual. He hit six off the first ball he faced on his CSK debut against RCB in 2022.
- Q: How long a gap was there between entries on the list?
A: The longest gap was three years, from Siddhesh Lad in 2019 to Maheesh Theekshana in 2022.
Conclusion:
Eleven entries. Nineteen years.
The list of batters to hit first ball 6 on IPL debut adds a name slowly and not every season.
What connects all eleven is a refusal to play cautiously on debut.
Each one saw the first ball, decided it was theirs, and hit it.
Some went on to long IPL careers. Others didn’t. But this moment is permanent for every one of them.
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