The opening ceremony was a spectacular affair, but what followed was even more breathtaking, as Brendon McCullum destroyed the home team in the inaugural match of the IPL. In what was a brutal one-man assault on the Bangalore Royal Challengers, McCullum blasted an unbeaten 158 from a mere 73 deliveries, the highest score in a Twenty20 match, to propel Kolkata Knight Riders to an imposing 222 for 3. The punch-drunk Bangalore team was in no condition to fight back after that battering, and collapsed limply to 82 to lose by an embarrassing margin of 140 runs, the fourth-largest defeat in this sort of match.
Chris Gayle was expected to be the aggressive opener for Kolkata, but McCullum’s stunning knock ensured Gayle’s absence wasn’t felt at all. In an innings which was reminiscent of Gayle’s blistering knock in the World Twenty20 opener - he had scored 117 from 57 - McCullum gave the Bangalore bowlers no chance. Pace and spin were both treated with equal contempt, and the crowd was treated to an innings of rare explosiveness.
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