"Watching Brendon McCullum, something changed in my head"- KL Rahul reveals how IPL's first-ever game developed his T20 mindset

KL Rahul was playing age-group cricket for Karnataka when the inaugural edition of the IPL was played back in 2008. The first game saw the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and Rahul was in attendance alongside his fellow state cricketers.

Former New Zealand star Brendon McCullum smashed 158* off just 73 balls as KKR posted a mammoth 222/3, giving IPL just the rollicking start it needed. Rahul accepted that while his focus at that point was on red-ball cricket, McCullum's knock inspired him to add power-hitting ability to his game.

Speaking to Ravichandran Ashwin in a video on the off-spinner's YouTube channel, here's what KL Rahul had to say about his experience watching McCullum's carnage (4:55):

"Watching the IPL and watching Brendon McCullum, something changed in my head. The very next day I started secretly trying to hit sixes and get my range of shots a bit more than the Test format. It made a huge difference and I will always remember that. I exactly know which stand I was sitting in."

Rahul has gone on to play all three formats for India and has also been one of the star Indian players in the IPL over the past few years.

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KL Rahul on his move to LSG

After captaining the Punjab Kings for a couple of seasons, KL Rahul expressed his desire to go to the Lucknow Super Giants as their skipper. While Rahul was already a captain at Punjab, he explained why the prospect of leading a new franchise excited him. He stated (22:05):

"When the two new teams came in and I had an opportunity to go there, thats what excited me. To start a franchise from scratch. To create my own team, my own culture. It has been fun and hopefully I can finish there."

After reaching the Eliminator in their first two seasons, LSG are currently placed fifth in the IPL 2024 points table with three wins from six games.