'Did not know which end of bat to hold, I am like what am I doing?' - Brendon McCullum recalls pressure moments during epic ton in IPL opener

Published - 13 Sept 2025, 11:25 IST | Updated - 13 Sept 2025, 12:26 IST

Brendon McCullum gave the Indian Premier League (IPL) a dream start back in 2008 as he slammed an awe-inspiring 158* off 73 deliveries in the opening fixture played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

McCullum recalled how he wasn't in great form in the lead-up to the tournament. Before the encounter between RCB and KKR, the wicketkeeper-batter had only aggregated 62 runs in five T20Is. The current England head coach got off to a slow start in the match against RCB, and he revealed how this put him under a lot of pressure.

“I was in no form whatsoever. I remember leading into the game, I was like, I did not know where I was going to get a run from. I was actually quite nervous. The build-up and everything, the glitz and the glamour of the IPL, and I am sitting here going oh my god. We go out, bat first, I am naught off eight in a T20 game, I thought I was under pressure at the start. I did not know which end of the bat to hold, I am like what am I doing?" McCullum recalled during the 'For The Love Of Cricket’ podcast.

The former New Zealand captain admitted that playing in the IPL changed his life. He also recalled how he was overwhelmed with emotions after sharing the KKR dressing room with legendary cricketers like Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly.

“It literally changed my life. I don’t say that lightly. Coming from where I come from, playing for New Zealand, cricket is very much secondary to rugby, and I was like not established at all really at international cricket when I got picked up for that first IPL. I remember I was looking around the dressing room at Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly, and all these amazing players, and I had a bit of imposter syndrome," McCullum recalled.

I was like ‘Geez, how am I in? How am I going to open the batting when I have got all these gun players here?’ And obviously you are earning good money and there is a big crowd and there’s all this anticipation of what the IPL was going to be," he concluded.

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2nd T20I: ENG amass 304, muster biggest win by runs in T20Is

England have been playing some really aggressive cricket since McCullum has taken over as the head coach. On Friday, September 12, the Three Lions posted a whopping 304/2 in 20 overs in the second T20I against South Africa at Old Trafford, Manchester. The hosts won by 146 runs to restore parity in the series.