Twelve years after he got the Indian Premier League off to a rollicking start, Brendon McCullum admits he was nervous — probably the only time in his career — but later realised how his 158-run blitz ‘changed his life completely’.

McCullum, now the head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders, had the distinction of facing IPL’s first-ever delivery in 2008, and left a lasting imprint by powering to an unbeaten 73-ball-158 that set the tone for the tournament, now in its 13th year.

“Well, I never really got too nervous throughout my cricket career, but on that occasion, I’ll admit I was very nervous,” McCullum told kkr.in, the franchise’s website. “I think none of us really knew what this tournament was going to be like. We all loved the idea of it, we loved the fanfare, but all the eyeballs of the cricketing world got turned towards Bangalore that night. I feel so lucky and privileged to have had the opportunity.”

“You talk about sliding doors, and moments in your careers and in lives. That night, my life changed completely in the space of those three hours or actually, even an hour-hour and a half.”

McCullum feels humbled at having been given the opportunity to showcase himself in the tournament’s curtain-raiser, and admits that the knock not only changed his own life, but that of his family as well. His 158 remained IPL’s highest individual score until 2013, when Chris Gayle stacked up 175, T20 cricket’s highest-ever score.

South Africa and UAE have hosted the tournament in the past. Could Sri Lanka become the next destination for IPL?https://t.co/SxwZmoMgEB

— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) April 17, 2020

 

“Why was I the one who got that opportunity to be able to go and face first with Sourav Ganguly? How did I get a chance to play in the first game, have the first opportunity to bat in such a huge tournament for world cricket? How was I even able to grab that opportunity?

“Dada [Sourav Ganguly] said, ‘Your life is changed forever’, and I didn’t quite know what he meant at the time, but (in hindsight), I 100% agree with him. Shah Rukh [Bollywood star and franchise co-owner], in the months which followed or the days and the weeks and the months which followed, he said. ‘you’ll always be with the Knight Riders.’”

“How much luck did I have along the way? Honestly, I don’t know the answers to any of these, but what I do know is that it changed my life forever.”