14 years after maiden hundred Brendon McCullum talks about impact of IPL on tournament anniversary
India Today
The current KKR head coach sat down with his teammate from the game - David Hussey, and talked about what impact the tournament has had over the years.
The Indian Premier League celebrates its 15th birthday today, on Monday, 18 April. This day, 14 years back, on the inaugural day of the tournament, a young New Zealander named Brendon McCullum set world cricket on fire, hitting 158 runs in the first ever innings of the league. Till this day, it is KKR’s only hundred in the cash-rich tournament.
IPL 2022: Full Coverage | Points Table
Brendon McCullum, sat down with David Hussey and reminisced about the game for the Indian Premier League website. Hussey - his KKR teammate from the game in 2008 and current coaching staff for the same franchise, took McCullum through the memory lane asking him how it felt to look back on the achievement.
The right hander stated that it was all a bit of a blur, but revealed that none of the players at that moment realised how big the IPL would become.
"None of us or anyone in general realised how big this tournament was going to become. That night we all found out what this tournament means to all the people that follow cricket in this country - India and also around the world. Ya, so it was nice to play a small hand in that," the KKR head coach said.
When asked about how he was feeling at that time in the crease, McCullum spilled the beans and said that he was very embarrassed in his first few balls after failing to score a single run from them. McCullum had walked in with a reputation of being a swashbuckler, but had found it difficult to get going.
“I do remember being 0 off 8 balls to start and my mind was ticking thinking, 'gee I've really made a real embarrassment of myself here.' But then I guess it was just a little bit of fate and things were written in the stars, got a bit of luck to get underway and then sort of thought that I'm going to keep swinging here and thankfully a few of them came off.”
Was Gautam Gambhir behind the Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma? India head coach Gautam Gambhir has hinted at the possible reason while speaking in an event in Kolkata.
IPL 2026: Karnataka government has approved IPL matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium after an expert committee reviewed safety and preparedness measures at a meeting chaired by Home Minister G. Parameshwara.
Suryakumar Yadav says lifting the T20 World Cup 2026 trophy in Ahmedabad has finally put to rest the pain of the 2023 ODI World Cup final defeat at the same venue, the memory that haunted him most.
Chelsea have been fined $14.3 million and handed a suspended transfer ban after the Premier League found the club guilty of breaching financial regulations. Undisclosed payments, made between 2011 and 2018 have landed the club in trouble.
KKR's preparations for IPL 2026 could suffer a major blow as fast bowler Harshit Rana's injury concerns grow. The young pacer was recently seen on crutches, raising doubts over his availability for the upcoming season.
India captain Shubman Gill has set his sights on the 2027 ODI World Cup, calling it the ultimate target for the team after their heartbreak in the 2023 final. The skipper believes India have another shot at glory.
Naman Awards 2026: On Sunday, March 15, Shubman Gill won the Polly Umrigar Award for Best International Men's Cricketer of the Year, while Smriti Mandhana was named Women's Cricketer of the Year.
NZW vs SAW: Amelia Kerr continued her red-hot run as captain, smashing 78 off 44 balls against South Africa, equalling Brendon McCullum and leading the hosts to an 80-run win in the first T20I.
IPL 2026: Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa believes young batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi will face a tougher challenge in IPL 2026. The 14-year-old prodigy impressed last season, but Uthappa expects bowlers to test him more this year.
Anil Kumble believes Kolkata Knight Riders weakened their own title-winning core by releasing Shreyas Iyer and Phil Salt after their 2024 triumph. The former India captain criticised the franchise's inconsistent retention strategy.
Rohit Sharma believes India's recent success in ICC tournaments could be the start of a strong phase for the national teams. The India captain praised both men's and women's teams and hopes the winning run continues.