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OTD In 2008: Brendon McCullum Lit Up IPL Curtain-Raiser With Explosive 158*

Aakash Saini

Brendon McCullum celebrating his IPL century in 2008 [Source: @CricUpdate58494/x]Brendon McCullum celebrating his IPL century in 2008 [Source: @CricUpdate58494/x]

The date is April 18, 2008. No one knew what the Indian Premier League (IPL) would go on to become. A league born out of curiosity and yet destined for greatness. And on that very night, Brendon McCullum ignited the stage with a blistering 158* from just 73 balls.

The legendary New Zealander rained down sixes like a storm unleashed, turning the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru (then Bangalore) into his own blazing arena. Here, we turn back the pages of IPL’s elite history books to revisit the innings that started it all, one that set the tone for this extravagant Indian T20 carnival for generations to come.

When Brendon McCullum tapped into destruction mode

Amidst much buzz in the air, Brendon McCullum ignited the curtain-raiser of the inaugural edition of the IPL with an innings for the ages. Opening the batting with Indian superstar and KKR captain Sourav Ganguly against a Rahul Dravid-led RCB in Bengaluru, McCullum went into overdrive with his six-laden epic of 158* runs from just 73 balls.

The legendary New Zealand opener belted 10 boundaries, and launched 13 scorching sixes (out of 14 from the innings and 17 from the match). McCullum’s batting mayhem not only marked the first individual century of IPL history, but also remained IPL’s highest individual score for the next five years.

Brendon McCullum’s epic helped the KKR mount 222-3 from 20 overs after getting invited to bat first. KKR bowlers Ashok Dinda (2-9), Ajit Agarkar (3-25), Ishant Sharma (1-7) and Sourav Ganguly (2-21) complemented his efforts to the fullest by wrapping up RCB’s chase for just 82 in 15.1 overs.

Following KKR’s monumental 140-run victory, McCullum fittingly and unsurprisingly bagged the ‘Player of the Match’ award.