On this day in 2008, the first match of the world's most famous T20 league - Indian Premier League (IPL) was played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
In the first-ever IPL match, played on 18 April 2008, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won the toss and decided to bowl first. Batting first, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) posted a mammoth 222-run total at the loss of just 3 wickets. For Kolkata, Brendon McCullum played an explosive innings of 158 runs off just 73 balls with the help of 13 sixes and 10 fours.
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McCullum's record remained unbeaten for five years. In 2013, Chris Gayle broke McCullum's record by scoring an unbeaten 175 off 66 balls against Pune Warriors by hitting 17 sixes and 13 fours in that innings and his record has not been broken till this day.
Rajasthan Royals had won the first-ever season of IPL under the captaincy of Australian legend leg-spinner Shane Warne. In this match, RR skipper Warne won the toss and decided to field first.
Chennai Super Kings scored 163 for loss of 5 wickets after batting first. In this exciting match that lasted till the very last ball, Rajasthan Royals won and became the first champion in the history of IPL.
It has been 13 years since the Indian Premier League (IPL) started. In these 13 years, the T20 tournament has become the largest cricket league in terms of players and money involved. So far, Mumbai Indians (MI) have won the most 5 IPL titles, while Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have become the champion three times.