Former RCB batter smashes 19 sixes in MLC 2025 opener to break Chris Gayle’s 8-year-old record [Watch]

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Finn Allen played a historic knock for the San Francisco Unicorns (SFU) in the 2025 Major League Cricket (MLC) opener against the Washington Freedom (WF). The New Zealand opener smashed 151 runs off just 51 deliveries, hitting 19 sixes in the process, which eclipses Chris Gayle's existing record of 18 maximums.

The legendary Caribbean batter had scripted the record during the 2017 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) while playing for the Rangpur Riders against the Dhaka Dynamites. Estonia's Sahil Chauhan was also a joint-record holder after smashing 18 sixes against Cyprus in 2024.

Finn Allen punished the opposition bowlers from the word go. He brought out the lap shot in the first over itself, scoring his first six against his national teammate, Ben Sears. The explosive opener continued to deal in sixes, scoring three sixes in a row off Mitchell Owen to bring up his fifty in the ninth over.

He then scored four sixes in a row soon after, three of which were against his national teammate, Glenn Phillips. The opener equalled Gayle's record with a six off Ian Holland's bowling in the 16th over, before claiming the record for himself in the next over with his 19th maximum of the innings.

The San Francisco Unicorns put up 269-5 on the board courtesy of Allen's memorable innings in the MLC 2025 opener. The defending champions got off to a solid start courtesy of Mitchell Owen and Rachin Ravindra, but crumbled under the pressure of the required run rate to be bowled out for just 146 with more than six overs to spare.

"Got good bats" - Finn Allen on his whirlwind innings in MLC 2025 opener

Finn Allen holds the record for the most mumber of sixes hit by a New Zealand batter in T20I cricket. He had smashed 16 sixes when he scored 137 runs against Pakistan in Dunedin.

The opening batter was the leading scorer for the franchise in their run to the finals in MLC 2024 season. He had scored 306 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 187.73, which also included a hundred.

"In the Bay Area for the first time, nice to start strong. Got good bats. They have done a great job preparing the wickets and the out-field was great as well. We have got a very good squad, the local boys chipped in as well which is very nice," Allen said during the post-match presentation.

San Francisco Unicorns next take on the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) in the MLC 2025 at the Oakland Coliseum in California on Saturday, June 14.