On April 18, 2008, he described the historical day in cricket because the Indian Premier League (IPL) debuted by the match between the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M. Chinnaswama stadium in Bengalur.
IPL could not ask for a better start, because Brendon McCullum lit up the stadium with sensational 158 of just 73 balls in the first match of the tournament on April 18, 2008.
The stage has already been prepared for an exciting competition – Rahul Dravid Head of RCB and Captain Kr Ganguly from Sourava Ganguly. After winning the throwing, David decided to mix, but McCullum had different ideas. The New Zealand goalkeeper, who opens the batting for KKR, released a brutal attack on the RCB pitch.
He started to Zaheer Khan and Pond Kumar from Get-Go and built a fast 51-run partnership with Ricky Ponting. Even after ganguly and ponting fell, McCullum maintained the result table ticking at a furious pace and dismantled the RCB attack with one hand.
David Hussey and others played supportive roles, but these were McCullum’s shifts that lit up the night and gave the IPL the beginning of a dream. RCB, rattling and unable to react, was tied to just 82 at 15.1 overs, giving the KRK a distinctive 140-run victory.
McCullum described the reaction of Sourava Ganguly To his shifts and the statement that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) the captain said the life of New Zealand would change forever.
“I don’t remember many reactions in detail, but I remember what the gangules told me that night,” McCullum quoted the official Knight Riders website.
“Dada said,” Your life has changed forever “and I didn’t quite know what he meant at that time, but (in backward view), I agree with him 100%. Shah Rukh, in the months that followed or the days and weeks and months that followed.
This unforgettable night was not just one shift – it was a spark that set fire to the cricket and transformed the IPL into one of the largest sports leagues in the world.
Published:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
18 April 2025
