'I do remember what Sourav Ganguly said to me that night' - Brendon McCullum recalls IPL 2008 opener against RCB

Back when the Indian Premier League flagged off its journey in 2008, it was never assumed that it would take such a magnificent form in years to come. The fashion of T20 cricket saw a boom after India’s victory in 2007 T20 World Cup. The tournament was looking to get big, and it got amazing when young New Zealander Brendon McCullum put up a splendid show in 2008 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

McCullum, who is now the head coach of the same franchise, owned the night when he played a thunderous knock of unbeaten 158 from just 73 deliveries against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). His inning was decorated by 13 sixes and ten fours, pushing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a massive 222/3 on board.

The match became one-sided when the opposition just got bundled at 82. 12 years after the thunderous knock, the ace batsman has revealed what then KKR skipper Sourav Ganguly told him.

Dada said, ‘Your life is changed forever’: Brendon McCullum

“I was just a young kid back then, so I was so in awe of Shah Rukh Khan, who was such a megastar. I was so out of my depth, even just around the superstars in my cricket team, let alone the megastar who owned our cricket team! I don’t remember many reactions in detail, but what I do remember is what Sourav Ganguly said to me that night.

“Dada 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,” McCullum told KKR’s website.

The 38-year-old further revealed that franchise owner Shah Rukh Khan wanted him to be with the Knights forever. Even when he was released by the franchise, they ended on good terms, and now the time has come again for him to serve Knight Riders in the capacity of their head coach.

“I was always very grateful, and thankful for the opportunity that the franchise had provided for me. So when an opportunity arose again (for the role of the head coach), I thought: ‘Well, Shah Rukh did say to me ‘You’ll always be very involved with KKR’ and this, I guess, is another opportunity,” he concluded.