light. Camera. action. The IPL could not have asked for a better start, thanks to the lead actor Brendon McCullum of a competition that will change the global cricket landscape forever. Royal Challengers Bangalore hosted Kolkata Knight Riders for the first match of the ambitious Indian Premier League at the iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 18, 2008, and McCullum hijacked the stage and headlines with some sensational batting, hitting a 73-ball 158. Scored runs.
IPL Full Coverage , Schedule , result , orange cap , purple cap
It was not even a year after India won the first ICC World T20 in South Africa that the BCCI decided it was time to set the stage for it to usher in the next era through the now ultra-popular T20 league. But he could hardly have imagined how dazzling the first chapter would be. A cursory glance at the encounter between RCB and KKR would give the impression that it is a bland affair – a one-sided contest to say the least with Knight Riders’ massive 140-run victory.
However, the impact of McCullum’s attack was such that the result of the contest was reduced to a mere footnote. The Kiwi wicketkeeper-batsman started the innings with India legend Sourav Ganguly hitting 10 fours and 13 sixes. The other batsmen did not cross 20 from either side.
KKR posted a mammoth score of 222/3 with McCullum mocking the bowling attack like Zaheer Khan, Jacques Kallis and Praveen Kumar.
RCB had a batting line-up of superstars including Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Kallis, Mark Boucher. He scored 82 runs in 15.1 overs against the attack of Ishant Sharma, Ajit Agarkar and Ashok Dinda.
Years later, McCullum reflected on his shift, crediting it with changing his life in the span of just three hours. Completely changed. You talk about sliding doors and moments in your career and life,” McCullum told KKR.
“Why was I the one who got the chance to go along with Sourav Ganguly and be able to face (delivery) first? How did I get a chance to play in the first match, how did I get a chance to bat for the first time in such a big tournament of world cricket?”
“How was I able to grab that opportunity? How much luck did I have on the way? To be honest, I don’t know the answer to any of this, but I do know that it changed my life forever.”
Get all the latest updates cricket news, cricket pictures, cricket videos, IPL 2022 Live Updates And cricket score Here