List: The Iconic First Happenings in IPL History

The Indian Premier League (IPL) burst onto the cricketing scene in 2008. Since then, the league has grown from strength to strength, garnering a lot of fanfare.

Over the years, the IPL has sprung up many memorable moments that fans will cherish for a long time. A few of them are most special, as these events occurred for the first time in the tournament’s history.

So, in this article, we’ll look at the list of iconic firsts that happened in IPL history.

The First IPL Match

The IPL’s inaugural season took place in 2008, with the opening clash between the Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Bengaluru) and Kolkata Knight Riders. Batting first, KKR posted a mammoth 222/3 on the scoreboard. In reply, RCB were all out on 82, resulting in KKR winning the match by 140 runs.

First Ball

RCB opened the bowling with Praveen Kumar. The pacer bowled the first ball of the IPL to KKR captain Sourav Ganguly.

First Run

On the same delivery, Ganguly scored the first run, although it was a leg bye, as the ball hit his pads.

First Four and Six

Brendon McCullum smashed the first four and six in the IPL. The Kiwi batter smashed the four on the second delivery of the second over, and on the fourth delivery, he hit the ball for a six.

First Dismissal

Sourav Ganguly was the first batter to be dismissed in the league’s history. RCB’s Zaheer Khan got him caught out on the second delivery of the sixth over.

First 50, 100, and 150

In the opening match itself, Brendon McCullum scored the first 50, 100, and 150 in the IPL. He was unbeaten on 158 runs off 73 balls.

First Run Out

In the same match, RCB’s Ashley Noffke became the first batter to be run out in the IPL. Ajit Agarkar fired a quick throw towards wicketkeeper Wriddiman Saha to effect the run out.

First Stumping

The fifth match of the 2008 season between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore saw wicketkeeper Mark Boucher make the first-ever stumping. The South African stumped out Robin Uthappa off Balachandra Akhil’s bowling.

First Hit Wicket

During the 10th match of the first season, the Mumbai Indians Musavir Khote got out hit wicket against the Kings XI Punjab. He hit the leg stump with his bat while attempting the shot.

First Mankad Dismissal

Jos Buttler became the first batter to be run out at the non-striker’s end (Mankad) in the IPL. This rare incident happened in the 2019 season in a match between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab. Ravichandran Ashwin, who was the captain of Punjab, mankaded Buttler while he was backing up too far.

First Retired Out

Scientist Ashwin created history by becoming the first batter to be retired out in an IPL innings. He was batting on 28 and then decided to retire out in the 19th over.

First Maiden Over

Glenn McGrath bowled the first maiden over in the IPL. During the 2008 Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils match, the Australian pacer bowled a wicket-maiden third over against RR.

First Five-Wicket Haul

Sohail Tanvir took the first five-wicket haul in the tournament. The pacer dismissed 6 batters while conceding just 14 runs, making it one of the best bowling performances in the IPL.

First Orange Cap

Shaun Marsh became the first batter to clinch the coveted Orange Cap in the IPL. Playing for the King XI Punjab, the left-hander amassed 616 runs in 11 innings.

First Purple Cap

Tanvir, who took the first fifer, also claimed the first-ever Purple Cap in the IPL. He picked up 22 wickets in 11 matches while playing for the Rajasthan Royals.