The first-ever IPL season took place back in the year 2008. In the IPL-2008 MS Dhoni was the CSK captain back then and even now in 2023 MSD is still leading his side no other player who was leading their side back in 2008 is even playing cricket but the 2008 IPL season is remembered for a various number of moments. So, let us go back to the year 2008.
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A Flashback to IPL-2008
The IPL-2008, the first-ever season of the IPL started with thunderstorm innings in the very first match of the season. Brendon McCullum was the first-ever batter to face a ball in the IPL against Royal Challengers Bangalore and that’s where the fireworks began to come from.
McCullum scored 158 runs in just 73 balls hitting 10 fours and 13 sixes and is still the only batter from KKR who ever scored a hundred in the IPL. Just imagine the first-ever match of a new format tournament starting with such a bang. It is a memory that no OG IPL fan can ever forget.
The fans were not over by this thunderous inning of McCullum and in the very next match, Mike Hussey scored 2nd hundred of the IPL scoring 116 in 54 balls hitting 9 sixes and 8 fours against Kings 11 Punjab. These 2 innings not only introduced the new league T20 format in India but made people go crazy over the tournament.
One of the most successful run chases took place in the 9th match between Rajasthan Royals and Deccan Chargers. Deccan Chargers while batting first scored 214 runs by the loss of 5 wickets in which Andrew Symonds scored 117 in just 53 balls with 7 sixes and 11 fours.
While in reply, Rajasthan Royals managed to chase down the target in the 2nd last ball of the match thanks to the 2 sixes by skipper Shane Warne in the last over and contributions from Graeme Smith and Yusuf Pathan. It’s one of the most thrilling matches fans witnessed in the whole IPL history.
Chennai’s Lakshmipathy Balaji became the first-ever bowler against Kings 11 Punjab to take a hat trick in the IPL-2008 season. Other than Balaji, Delhi’s Amit Mishra, and Chennai’s Ntini managed to take hat tricks in the IPL-2008 season.
The 4 teams which managed to qualify for the playoffs were Rajasthan Royals, Kings 11 Punjab, Chennai Super Kings, and Delhi Daredevils. Rajasthan Royals defeated Kings 11 Punjab to directly qualify for the finals of the IPL-2008 season while on the other hand, Chennai Super Kings first defeated Delhi Daredevils and then defeated Kings 11 Punjab to book the tickets for the IPL-2008 finals.
Winning the toss, Rajasthan’s captain Shane Warne opted to field first. Chennai scored 163 runs in 20 overs with a loss of 5 wickets. Batting at number three, Suresh Raina top-scored for the CSK with 43 runs. Rajasthan’s Yusuf Pathan took 3 wickets for 22 runs. Rajasthan failed to build a good opening partnership but the contributions in the middle from Shane Watson and a half-century from Yusuf Pathan gave hope to the Royals.
As the match reached the end, Rajasthan needed 8 runs in 6 balls to win with Shane Warne and Tanvir on strike. The last over was bowled by the hat trick-taker Laksmipathy Balaji. The equations were 6 runs needed in 3 balls but Balaji bowled a wide bowl which Parthiv Patel failed to collect and an extra run was taken by the batters. Warne took a single in the next ball and Royals needed 3 runs in 2 balls and the match was completely turned around.
Tanvir managed to run double in the 2nd last bowl off the over and Rajasthan needed 1 run in 1 ball to win Chennai needed to defend that 1 run to take the match to super over but Tanvir managed to hit the ball and Warne already covered half of the pitch and this is how Rajasthan Royals won the IPL-2008 season with a close thriller.
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