On a night when nobody knew what to expect, the Kiwi batter gave a glimpse of cricket’s future
The year was 2008, and T20 cricket was in its nascent stage,
with very limited exposure. However, despite the uncertain future of the format, former BCCI Vice President Lalit Modi took the risk and established the Indian Premier League (IPL) – a franchise-based T20 domestic tournament that combined sports and entertainment.
On April 18, 2008, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the home ground of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), nobody knew what to expect. In fact, many had never played T20 cricket or were still in a learning phase.
However, one man out of the 22 players from the two sides walked onto the pitch and gave a glimpse of cricket’s future. He not only showed how T20 should be played but revolutionised batting, so much so that today, even Test matches are played at the same pace as T20.
158 not out
#OnThisDay in 2008, the first-ever match of the IPL was played, a clash between #RCB and KKR in Bangalore 💥
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) April 18, 2021
Brendon McCullum played one of the most destructive knocks of T20 cricket when he smashed an unbeaten 158 as KKR won by 140 runs and gave IPL the perfect start 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4Ie6Ei8ws4
Batting first for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), New Zealand’s former batter Brendon McCullum started hitting the Bengaluru boy right, left and centre without any breathing space. In just 24 balls, KKR crossed the 50-run mark, whereas McCullum reached his 50 in 32 balls.
On one end, while KKR was losing wickets, McCullum was punishing the bowlers harder with more sixes and fours, completing his century in 53 balls. From his century to 158, McCullum just needed 17 balls, which left the Bengaluru crowd in silence.
Brendon McCullum’s 158 – The Knock That Launched the IPL🔥
With IPL 2025 around the corner, it’s time to look back at the most defining innings in IPL history. And nothing comes close to Brendon McCullum’s iconic unbeaten 158* off 73 balls in the very first IPL match in 2008.… pic.twitter.com/9QzqvCIdHc— "Cricket ++" feat. Raj (@cricplusplus) March 16, 2025
Such a style of cricket was rarely seen before, as KKR ended the innings with 222 runs on the board, losing merely three wickets. KKR scored 222 runs in 20 overs at an impressive run rate of 11.10, showcasing absolute carnage by Brendon McCullum.
Bowling at peak
Not only KKR’s batting, but the bowling unit also left the Bengaluru boys with heartbreak. Despite having players such as Dravid, Kallis, White and Boucher, Bengaluru managed only 82 runs on the board, with 10 returning to the dugout with single-digit scores. The only double-digit scorer was Praveen Kumar, who managed 18 runs in 15 balls.
KKR’s record
The record of 222 runs on the board stood for over two years until the Chennai Super Kings made 246/5 against Rajasthan Royals in 2010. KKR also plummeted to the bottom of the table and struggled for four years before lifting its first IPL trophy, but it was KKR and McCullum who revolutionised batting in the T20 format.
McCullum recalls
The IPL was a game changer for me – Brendon McCullum 🗣
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) September 15, 2025
#BrendonMcCullum #IPL #KKR #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/ZyO5Unm0fu
Last year, McCullum had recalled the innings, stating, “It literally changed my life. I don’t say that lightly. Coming from where I come from, playing for New Zealand, cricket is very much secondary to rugby, and I was like not established at all really at international cricket when I got picked up for that first IPL. I remember I was looking around the dressing room at Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly, and all these amazing players, and I had a bit of imposter syndrome. I was like ‘Geez, how am I in? How am I going to open the batting when I have got all these gun players here?’ And obviously, you are earning good money, and there is a big crowd, and there’s all this anticipation of what the IPL was going to be,” as quoted by News18.
