5 best inaugural matches of T20 leagues
T20 leagues have become extremely popular in the cricket world owing to their unique model. It was a dream for fans in the early 2000s to see pairs of Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly, Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Adam Gilchrist, MS Dhoni and Matthew Hayden play for the same team. The dreams became reality because of the IPL.
The launch of the Indian Premier League in 2008 brought about a revolution in the cricket world. It was not just another tournament for the entertainment of fans but also the franchise model allowed the cricketers and investors to make lots of money.
Looking at the success of the IPL, every cricket board joined the business of T20 leagues. At the moment, almost every cricketing nation has its own T20 league. The latest T20 competition on the long list is the BCCI's Women's Premier League.
The inaugural WPL game took place on March 4, 2023, where the Mumbai Indians defeated the Gujarat Giants by 143 runs. It was an eventful opening match, where fans witnessed some brilliant performances from MI.
The cricket universe should note that this was not the first memorable inaugural match of a T20 league. In this article, we will look at five such T20 leagues whose inaugural games set the tone for the rest of the tournament.
#1 Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2008
The first-ever IPL match was also an entertaining encounter like the WPL opener. Kolkata Knight Riders blew away the Royal Challengers Bangalore in that game. Brendon McCullum's 73-ball 158* guided KKR to a mammoth 222/3 in their 20 overs.
Chasing 223 for a victory, RCB skittled out for just 82 runs. Nearly 15 years have passed since that night, but McCullum's scintallating knock is still fresh in the minds of IPL fans.
#2 India Maharajas vs. Asia Lions, Legends League Cricket 2022
Legends League Cricket's inaugural edition took place in Oman last year, where the India Maharajas defeated the Asia Lions by six wickets. The Lions scored 175/7 in the first innings, and the Maharajas chased the target in 19.1 overs despite being down to 34/3 in the seventh over.
Yusuf Pathan's match-winning 40-ball 80 set the tone for LLC. He smashed nine fours and five sixes in his fantastic knock.
#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Cape Cobras, CLT20 2009
Cape Cobras just won. Well then. Discuss here please : http://bit.ly/kDTMQ
Considered the biggest of all T20 leagues, the Champions League T20 came into existence in 2008. The idea was to have a tournament with the champion teams of all T20 leagues in the world. The inaugural edition was canceled, and the tournament happened for the first time in 2009.
IPL 2009 finalists Royal Challengers Bangalore participated in the first-ever match of Champions League T20. RCB's opponents were South Africa-based Cape Cobras, with the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium playing host to the fixture.
The home side posted 180/4 in 20 overs, thanks to Robin Uthappa and Ross Taylor's half-centuries. Cape Cobras slumped to 14/2 in the run-chase, but an unbeaten 99-run knock from JP Duminy guided them home in the 20th over. They needed nine runs off six balls for a win.
Duminy smacked a six and a four off Vinay Kumar's bowling to help Cape Cobras start off the tournament with a victory.
#4 Kandy Tuskers vs. Colombo Kings - Lanka Premier League 2020
The inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League started on November 26, 2020 with a match between Colombo Kings and Kandy Tuskers. Interestingly, the first match of LPL ended in a tie, with both teams scoring 219 runs each in their 20 overs.
The match went into a Super Over, where the Kings scored 16 runs and defended it successfully to win the game.
#5 Barbados Tridents vs. St Lucia Zouks, CPL 2013
West Indies entered the world of T20 leagues in 2013 with the Caribbean Premier League. Kieron Pollard's Barbados Tridents took on Daren Sammy's St. Lucia Zouks in the inaugural match.
Like a few other T20 leagues, the team batting first won the inaugural CPL match. Barbados scored 169/5 in 20 overs and bowled the Zouks out for 152 runs. Shoaib Malik won the Player of the Match award for his 51-ball 78 and a spell of 1/2.