Sourav Ganguly was right about 158* in IPL 2008 changing my life forever: Brendon McCullum

Former New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum was one of the most attacking batsmen in the world. He was renowned as one of the hardest hitters of the cricket ball. Brendon McCullum was fearless in his approach and the testament to his hard-hitting prowess lied in the way he danced down the pitch to some of the fastest bowlers in the world.

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Brendon McCullum reveals Sourav Ganguly's reaction after his 73-ball 158*

But one innings that truly changed Brendon McCullum's fortunes was his staggering innings of 158* off 73 balls for KKR against RCB in the inaugural match of the Indian Premier League. Few had expected the T20 tournament to start off in such an exemplary fashion. 

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The right-hander smashed 13 sixes and 10 fours and lit up the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru with his dazzling knock. His wonderful innings left everyone in shock including the then KKR captain and his opening partner Sourav Ganguly as well as KKR's owners Red Chillies Entertainment. The 38-year old McCullum, in a recent interview on the on the official Kolkata Knight Riders podcast, tried to recall their reactions when he reached the dugout after playing an innings of a lifetime.

After seeing his batting in the IPL 2008 opener, Sourav Ganguly predicted that the innings will change the New Zealander's life forever. McCullum added that he didn’t quite know what Sourav Ganguly meant at the time, but in hindsight, he completely agrees with him. While the team's owners assured him that he would always be a Knight Rider. 

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Although the former New Zealand skipper was released by KKR twice (in 2011 and 2014) as a player, the Knight Riders owners certainly kept their word as he returned few years later after being named the head coach of their Caribbean Premier League team Trinbago Knight Riders and KKR itself in mid-2019.

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IMAGE COURTESY: ICC TWITTER