Finn Allen Smashes T20 World Record with 19 Sixes in Explosive MLC Opener
New Zealand’s Finn Allen delivered one of the most explosive T20 innings in history on Friday, breaking the world record for most sixes in a single T20 match. Playing for the San Francisco Unicorns in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 opener, Allen launched 19 sixes en route to a jaw-dropping 151 off just 51 balls, obliterating the Washington Freedom attack at the Oakland Coliseum.
With this ferocious knock, Allen surpassed the previous record of 18 sixes, jointly held by Chris Gayle (2017) and Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan (2024), setting a new benchmark for power-hitting in T20 cricket.
A Statement Knock from a Player IPL Teams Overlooked
Remarkably, Allen’s record-breaking blitz comes after he went unsold for three consecutive IPL seasons. Once signed as a replacement by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2021, Allen never got a game and hasn’t found a franchise since, including in the mega auction last year where his ₹2 crore base price saw no takers.
On Friday, the 26-year-old showed what the IPL has been missing.
Fastest 150 in T20 History
Opening the batting with fellow Kiwi Tim Seifert, Allen came out blazing. He reached 40 off just 14 balls and brought up his half-century in 20. He then hit turbo mode, racing to his fourth career T20 century in just 34 balls — the fastest ton in MLC history, beating Nicholas Pooran’s 40-ball hundred from the 2024 season.
Allen’s 150 came in just 49 balls, eclipsing Chris Gayle’s iconic 50-ball 150 during his 175* in IPL 2013 — setting a new world record for the fastest 150 in T20s.
Washington Freedom Bowlers Bear the Brunt
No bowler was spared:
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Mitchell Owen was hit for four sixes, including the one that brought up Allen’s hundred.
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Saurabh Netravalkar conceded three monstrous sixes.
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Glenn Phillips, bowling just one over, was taken for a hat-trick of sixes.
In total, Allen’s innings featured 19 sixes and 5 fours, with a staggering boundary percentage. He was eventually dismissed in the 18th over, caught by Phillips while trying for a 20th six.
Team Record Also Falls
Fueled by Allen’s onslaught, the San Francisco Unicorns posted 269/5, the highest men’s T20 total ever recorded on U.S. soil, and a new MLC record. It was a dominant performance against the reigning champions and a thunderous start to the tournament.
Finn Allen: A Rising Global Force
This knock cements Allen’s growing status as one of the most dangerous batters in world cricket. He now has over 4,100 T20 runs at a staggering strike rate of 173.27 — the highest among players with more than 1,000 runs in the format.
It also comes just months after his 137 off 62 balls against Pakistan in January 2024, where he had equaled Hazratullah Zazai’s T20I record of 16 sixes in a match.
With records falling and jaws dropping, Finn Allen has once again proven that when he’s in form, few in world cricket can match his firepower.
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