Brendon McCullum happy to be a part of Rajkot team

Brendon McCullum is one of the most popular faces of IPL. His 158* against Royal Challengers Bangalore set the tone for the entire IPL. On Tuesday, McCullum was ready to represent his fourth IPL franchise, after playing for KKR, Kochi and CSK.

In the last two seasons that he played for CSK, McCullum made 841 runs from 28 outings with five fifties and a century.

“Having played in India on so many occasions over the years, I am excited to be part of the Rajkot side for the next edition of the IPL. It has always been great playing in India as the crowds give you so much love, and they have an enthusiasm for the game which is unmatched,” McCullum told TOI on Tuesday (December 15).

When asked if he would miss sharing the dressing room with his previous skipper MS Dhoni, who was bought by Pune, McCullum chose to look at the brighter side. “In the Rajkot team, I will still be playing alongside Suresh (Raina), Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo with whom I have had a wonderful time at CSK,” said McCullum, who has 2080 runs from 76 IPL matches.

On Monday, skipper McCullum led New Zealand to a 122-run win over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Dunedin. It was a milestone game for him as he went on to equal Adam Gilchrist’s world record for most sixes in Tests (100).

“Oh, it was a great feeling to get that (record). As I said earlier, this was one hundred I definitely cared about. Hitting my 100th six was a moment I would definitely cherish as I had an eye on this record. I hope to hold on to this for some seasons at least,” said McCullum.