Kochi Tuskers Kerala's first-ever playing XI in the IPL. Where are they now?

Entering the star-studded tournament for a lone season in 2011, Kerala finally had got a team for itself. Named Kochi Tuskers Kerala, the franchise featured some of the biggest names in their squad in the likes of Brendon McCullum, Muttiah Muralitharan, VVS Laxman, Ravindra Jadeja and many more. The team finished eighth in the league stage.

Being hosts in their debut match, the Kochi team faced a revamped and new RCB team. Winning the toss and electing to bat first, their power-calm pair of McCullum and VVS got the team off to an electrifying start, scoring 61-0 in the powerplay. The dismissal of both the openers unleashed the middle order that struggled to keep up with the Vettori’s spin and the other bowlers.

This restricted them to 161 in the 20 overs. During their bowling innings, Sreesanth opened their wickets account bringing the stadium alive. However, the inability to control the scoreboard and pick wickets in quick intervals resulted in RCB running away with the game in a six-wicket victory. While the team played a single season before getting terminated, a lot of their players either went unsold or featured for different teams from there on.

Let’s look at KTK’s first-ever playing XI in IPL and where are they now

1. Brendon McCullum 

Brutal yet nonchalant, Brendon McCullum opened the innings for the Kochi franchise. This Kiwi needs no introduction. The swashbuckling batter was vicious in his first-ever match of the IPL, striking every other ball to the boundary, scoring a total of 158* that match. Muscling the ball into the stands and providing fliers to any team he plays for is a common sight to all the spectators, every time he steps onto the crease.

In the first match vs the Bangalore franchise, McCullum took charge from ball three, and there was no looking back. A power-packed innings consisting of four boundaries and two maximums helped the KTK team to an electric start in the first half of their batting innings. An error of judgement in his 32nd ball by Dirk Nannes sent him back to the pavilion scoring 45 at a strike rate of 140.62.

Finishing his career as one of the most successful captains of the New Zealand team, McCullum retired from all forms of cricket in August 2019. Beyond his playing career, he took up coaching charges for the Knight Riders franchise in both the IPL and CPL in 2019 and will continue to coach them in the 2022 IPL season.