Yuvraj's six sixes—a record whose story remains unfinished even after 19 years.

The first ball went over mid-wicket. The next, over backward square leg. The third six sailed over extra cover. The fourth went over backward point. The fifth and sixth sixes were hit over mid-wicket and mid-on, respectively.

Nineteen years ago to the day, a chapter was written in the history of international T20 cricket at Kingsmead, Durban—a moment whose resonance lingers to this day. India's Yuvraj Singh achieved the incredible feat of hitting six sixes in a single over off young English pacer Stuart Broad.

Nineteen years have passed since that event. In the interim, five other batsmen have joined Yuvraj by hitting six sixes in an over in international T20 cricket. While they may not all be as household a name as Yuvraj among cricket's elite stars, they all share the same throne in the record books for that feat of six sixes.

Two others before Yuvraj

When Yuvraj made history in 2007, T20 cricket was still in its infancy. Over the last 19 years, the batting philosophy in cricket has shifted significantly. Batsmen are now more willing to take risks, and shot-selection patterns have evolved. Consequently, an event like hitting six sixes in an over is no longer an impossibility.

In fact, such incidents had been witnessed in cricket even before Yuvraj's feat.

South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs hit six sixes in an over against the Netherlands during the 2007 ODI World Cup.

Looking beyond international cricket, two even earlier examples can be found. In 1968, while playing for Nottinghamshire in English county cricket, Sir Garfield Sobers hit six sixes in an over off Glamorgan's Malcolm Nash. Sixteen years later, Mumbai's Ravi Shastri achieved the same feat in the Ranji Trophy.

Thus, such an occurrence in an aggressive format like T20 is not particularly unusual.

Yuvraj stood alone for 14 years

Yet, the significance of Yuvraj's achievement remains undiminished. The true marvel lies elsewhere: for a staggering 14 years, no one else could manage to hit six sixes in an over in international T20 cricket. Finally, in 2021, West Indies' Kieron Pollard put an end to that long wait. He joined Yuvraj by smashing six sixes in a single over off Sri Lankan spinner Akila Dananjaya.

Since then, however, the list has grown rapidly.

Then came Dipendra, Visser, and Manan.

In 2024, Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee earned a spot on this list by hitting six sixes in an over against Qatar. Beyond the feat of six sixes, he also set the record for the fastest fifty in international T20 cricket during that match, reaching the milestone in just nine balls.

That same year, Samoa's Darius Visser hit six sixes in an over against Vanuatu.

In 2025, Bulgaria's Manan Bashir achieved the same feat against Gibraltar.

And the latest addition to this exclusive list is Nepal's Kushal Bhurtel. He etched his name in the international cricket record books this year by hitting six sixes in an over against China.

Most remarkably, two of the batsmen on this list of players who have hit six sixes in an over in international T20s are from Nepal—Dipendra Singh Airee and Kushal Bhurtel.

Flintoff and Mascarenhas were the catalysts behind that night.

However, to tell the story of Yuvraj's six sixes, one must look back at a few events leading up to that match.

Shortly before the T20 World Cup, England's Dimitri Mascarenhas had hit five consecutive sixes in an over bowled by Yuvraj during an ODI match. The sting of that incident likely lingered in Yuvraj's mind.

During that match in Durban, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff got into a heated verbal exchange with Yuvraj, further intensifying the atmosphere of the game.

Then, Stuart Broad stepped up to bowl.

And that over bowled by Broad turned into one of the most memorable overs in cricket history. By hitting six sixes off six balls, Yuvraj not only stole the spotlight in that match but also permanently etched his name into the history of international T20 cricket. However, there was someone else who bore the most painful witness to those six sixes—Broad’s father, Chris Broad. Chris, who was officiating the match as the match referee, had to watch—right before his eyes—as every one of his son's deliveries was smashed into the stands.

Perhaps no one can understand the emotions of that moment better than Chris Broad himself.