Credit: IPL
On April 18, 2008, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) thrashed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by 140 runs and kicked off the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) edition in a style. Bowling first after winning the toss, RCB witnessed themselves at the receiving end as the KKR opener Brendon McCullum came heavily on the bowlers. Along with his captain Sourav Ganguly, the New Zealander stitched a 61-run opening stand off just 32 deliveries. RCB’s key bowlers Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, and Jacques Kallis looked completely ineffective while confronting the Kiwi batter. He batted for the entire 20 overs and smashed an unbeaten 158 off just 73.
McCullum’s unbeaten knock was studded with 23 boundaries (10 fours and 13 maximums). Riding on his extraordinary innings, Kolkata erected a massive total of 222/3 in their 20-over quota. Pursuing the target, RCB batters looked timid and surrendered at a score 82 while batting for 15.1 overs. Ishant Sharma delivered the first breakthrough to KKR in the form of Bengaluru captain Rahul Dravid. Following their skipper, RCB batters threw their wickets in quick succession. Ajit Agarkar picked up 3/25 figures in his four-over spell and emerged as Kolkata’s most-successful bowler in the match. McCullum, who played the standout knock for KKR, received the player of the match award after the game.
Chris Gayle shattered Brendon McCullum’s batting feat in IPL 2013
Brendon McCullum’s magnificent knock in the inaugural IPL match remained the best innings in the league until 2013, when Chris Gayle struck an unbeaten 175 off 66 against Pune Warriors India (PWI) and owned the feat of the batter with highest individual score in the league.
Taking on PWI at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Gayle wreaked havoc on bowlers and helped Challengers to rack up 263/5 on the board. It is RCB’s highest score in IPL. RCB bagged a 130-run win in that contest. However, McCullum’s innings is still the second-highest individual score in IPL.
