April 18, 2008 was the start of a new era in cricket. As the T20 format gained momentum, the Indian Premier League was born.
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As Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders faced off at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on a warm Friday evening, a new step had been taken in the gentleman’s game.
Kolkata were put into bat and New Zealand opener Brendon McCullum looked like a man on a mission – a mission to destroy the bowling. The ball started to fly to all parts of the ground and the crowd was mesmerised at some breath-taking strokeplay.
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Scoring at a strike rate of over 200, McCullum smashed everyone around the park and pretty soon Bangalore skipper Rahul Dravid had run out of options to contain the Kiwi.
Sourav Ganguly’s men amassed 222/3 in 20 overs. McCullum scored 158 of those, his unbeaten knock coming in 73 balls (10 fours and 13 sixes).
Bangalore’s chase was doomed from the start as Ishant Sharma removed Dravid in the second over. The rest of the team crumbled after their captain departed and they were all back in the hut for 82. The 140-run win was the result of the first match of the IPL.
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McCullum’s knock proved that this format was for attacking shots and innovation. His 158 would remain the highest score in the tournament until Chris Gayle’s 175 not out for Bangalore against Pune in 2013. But on that day, the New Zealander had truly shown what power-hitting was all about. It was the perfect baptism of a league that would develop a huge fan following in the years to come.