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With India winning the inaugural edition of the ICC World T20 on an eventful September evening in Johannesburg, little did people know that the man who was seen next to Bollywood's King Khan in the stands that day, would herald in a change that not only changed the face of cricket but also brought in international participation towards India.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) was thus birthed by the brains of the above-mentioned man that is Lalit Modi, and people including SRK has been a part of the cricketing extravaganza since then.
The first season of the IPL was held in 2008 and looking back nearly eleven years later, cricket fans experience a myriad of emotions surging through them. Starting from Brendon McCullum's whirlwind 158-run knock in the very first game, to Shane Warne's dream run with a bunch of relatively-unknown youngsters that resulted in the title-win for Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2008 was the right mixture of surprise, excitement and euphoria, and the best possible way to start off a legacy.
Today, we take a look at a list of eight players, one from each IPL team that played in its first-ever edition, and top-scored for their respective sides. Featuring several great names from the history of the sport itself, the list is guaranteed to give you some literal chills.
1. Shaun Marsh (Australia - Kings XI Punjab)
Key Statistics: Matches 11, Innings 11, Not Outs 2, Runs 616, Highest 115, Average 68.44, Strike Rate 139.68, Hundreds 1, Fifties 5.
Shaun Marsh, the elder son of former Aussie national Geoff Marsh, surprised one and all by coming in as a small name and going back with a big prize - the Orange Cap for the top-scorer of the tournament. Marsh's exploits helped the Mohali-based franchise to finish among the top-four sides in IPL 2008.
His stint in IPL also played an important role in his Australian national selection, which he duly received shortly after the conclusion of the 2008 season.
2. Gautam Gambhir (India - Delhi Daredevils)
Key Statistics: Matches 14, Innings 14, Not Outs 5, Runs 534, Highest 86, Average 41.07, Strike Rate 140.89, Hundreds 0, Fifties 5.
Gautam Gambhir played for the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2008. He continued from where he left off in the World T20I 2007 finals, where he scored 75 runs and fuelled India's triumph. In the IPL, he was the top-scoring Indian at the end of its first season.
Gambhir is the first Indian to cross 500 runs in an IPL season and he ended at second place on the top run-scorer list during that season with five fifties. The Delhi Daredevils managed to reach the semi-finals during the 2008 season. However, they lost to Rajasthan Royals in the semi-finals.
Gambhir eventually went on to play for Kolkata and even won two IPL titles as their captain, but returned to Delhi last year. He retired from all forms of cricket a few weeks ago, with his intentions in the forthcoming future uncertain.
3. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka - Mumbai Indians)
Key Statistics: Matches 14, Innings 14, Not Outs 1, Runs 514, Highest 114*, Average 42.83, Strike Rate 166.34, Hundreds 1, Fifties 2.
The world watched the developments in Mumbai Indians with great interest back in 2008, as they were fielding a really formidable side comprising the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Robin Uthappa, Dwayne Bravo, Sanath Jayasuriya and so on. Among them, Jayasuriya's performance with the bat was unmatched by others in the side, and he finished Mumbai's top scorer in 2008.
He also scored a wonderful hundred against eventual winners Chennai Super Kings, in one of the games. The Sri Lankan legend recorded a 45 ball century which contained 11 sixes as well as the Mumbai Indians chased down 157 runs in just 14 overs. It is still the fastest century recorded by a Mumbai Indians player in IPL history.
The maverick left-hander bid adieu to international cricket in 2011.
4. Shane Watson (Australia - Rajasthan Royals)
Key Statistics: Matches 15, Innings 15, Not Outs 5, Runs 472, Highest 76*, Average 47.10, Strike Rate 151.76, Hundreds 0, Fifties 4.
Rajasthan Royals romped home to an unexpected title in the 2008 IPL, in what was the perfect end to an underdog story. Shane Warne's side were not given any chance by pundits, as his side fielded a majority of unknown Indian youngsters. Still, they went on to triumph, and they have Shane Watson's all-round capabilities to thank much for it.
Shane Watson played a key role with both bat and the ball and eventually ended up in fourth place on the leading run scorer list. He also won the Man of the Tournament award for his IPL winning all-around performance.
Watto, as he is fondly called, notched four fifties en route top scoring for RR in IPL 2008. Later he switched loyalties to Royal Challengers Bangalore and now plays for current winners Chennai.
5. Adam Gilchrist (Australia - Deccan Chargers)
Key Statistics: Matches 14, Innings 14, Not Outs 1, Runs 436, Highest 109*, Average 33.53, Strike Rate 137.10, Hundreds 1, Fifties 3.
Adam Gilchrist and co. had a disappointing run in IPL 2008, when his side finished a shameful last, winning just two out of 14 group stage encounters. The Australian wicketkeeper who lit the Caribbean Islands a year earlier with his glittering 149 in the World Cup, stood tall like a lone warrior and was the sixth-best run-scorer in the edition.
In 2009, he reversed his fortunes and led his side to their only IPL triumph before they were disbanded. During the 2008 season, he smashed a 42-ball century against Mumbai Indians which helped the Deccan Chargers chase down 154 runs in just 12 overs. It is still the fourth fastest century in IPL history.
Gilchrist had retired from international cricket before IPL 2008 began, and he went on to play the league until 2013.
6. Suresh Raina (India - Chennai Super Kings)
Key Statistics: Matches 16, Innings 14, Not Outs 3, Runs 421, Highest 55*, Average 38.27, Strike Rate 142.71, Hundreds 0, Fifties 3.
Indian left-handed batting stalwart Suresh Raina was at the forefront of runners-up Chennai Super Kings' marauding run in the 2008 IPL. He played for another franchise only once, when CSK was suspended for two years. All the remaining years, Raina was part of the Yellow brigade, where he has maintained good form and consistency from the first season.
It was the first of many 400+ runs season for Raina. He was one of the key reasons why the Chennai Super Kings managed to reach finals on many occasions. Raina is also known as Mr.IPL by cricket experts for his heroics in the IPL.
Suresh Raina is the current leader of the all-time run-charts of IPL. Raina also won the IPL title thrice, including the 2018 edition.
7. Rahul Dravid (India - Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Key Statistics: Matches 14, Innings 14, Not Outs 1, Runs 371, Highest 75*, Average 28.53, Strike Rate 129.49, Hundreds 0, Fifties 2.
Vijay Mallya's Bengaluru-based IPL franchise had a very disappointing opening in 2008, finishing seventh out of eight teams in total. They were blown out of competition right from their first game, where Brendon McCullum blasted 158 runs all by himself as Kolkata defeated them in what was also the first game in the history of IPL. Among RCB's torn-down warriors, was, however, a figure who was very conspicuous by his own presence in the run making charts.
Rahul Dravid was widely regarded as a slow batsman whose methods did not exactly coincide with the format's requirements. Yet, Dravid emerged their best batsman, from amongst the likes of Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis, and a very young Virat Kohli. Dravid was the lone warrior during the 2008 season for the RCB, scoring 371 runs.
8. Sourav Ganguly (India - Kolkata Knight Riders)
Key Statistics: Matches 13, Innings 13, Not Outs 1, Runs 349, Highest 91, Average 29.08, Strike Rate 113.68, Hundreds 0, Fifties 3.
Sourav Ganguly was the captain and icon player of Shah Rukh Khan's KKR, and he duly became the top-scorer as well. McCullum added only 30 more runs to his 158 from the first game, and others like David Hussey, Salman Butt, and Ricky Ponting disappointed. Kolkata couldn't make it into the top-four and crashed out in the group stages itself. Sourav and David Hussey were the only cricketers to cross 300 runs during the 2008 season for KKR.
Sourav Ganguly meanwhile, left for Pune Warriors (now defunct) after a short albeit eventful stint with Kolkata. He later bid adieu from all forms of the game, and currently shares ownership of top ISL club ATK, apart from holding the presidentship post of the Bengal Cricket Association.
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