The Indian Premier League turns 18 with its first match scheduled today, March 22, between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Amidst the humdrum of opening ceremonies and all, Rain God is gradually waning the chances of a single over today. A gloomy morning with rain intervening in intervals hasn't let the groundment rest since the morning. A bunch of pumped-up fans trolling from one gate to the other last night, just to manage a glimpse of their beloved Virat Kohli, might not be able to see him play the game if the downpour shows up during the match. Kolkata, along with a few other places in southern West Bengal, is under orange alert until today. The drizzles and dampness throughout the day have been quite expected but not accepted for the opening match. Nevertheless, even if the covers don’t come out, why not uncover some power-packed batting shows by the hosts of today's match! Here, we walk back to OG days shedding light on six of the best batting performances by KKR batters! 5. Rinku Singh: 48* off 21 vs GT, 2023 AFP/Getty Images The 48 runs coming off Rinku Singh were enough to sideline Venkatesh Iyer’s 83 (40). Gujarat Titans with the likes of Sai Sudarshan (53) and Vijay Shankar’s (63) half-centuries and decent contributions from other batters posted 204 runs in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Coming to chase, KKR, despite losing the openers early, Venky set the tone, having Nitish Rana guarding the middle with himself scoring 45 runs. The match that looked easy in the beginning got trapped in the GT’s palms as Alzari Joseph cleaned Venky. The situation turned worse when the Afghan prodigy Rashid Khan bagged his hattrick, clearing Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur in the 17th over. Rinku was on crease, batting at just 3 runs, having Umesh Yadav as his partner, who was on 1. KKR still had 49 runs to chase within 4 overs. When hopes shattered, Rinku rose. Initially, he rotated strike, unless he fired a six and a boundary against Josh Little in the 19th over. The last over, etched in mind for ages, so Yash Dayal belittled by Rinku with four sixes! Nitish Rana, the stand-in captain for KKR in place of injured Shreyas Iyer, later said it was probably a once-in-a-lifetime innings, yet worthy enough to watch innumerable times. Read also: Suryakumar Yadav’s Heartwarming Moment with Young Fan Goes Viral 4. Yusuf Pathan: 72 vs SRH, 2014 BCCI All KKR had to chase was 161 runs in Eden Gardens, but within 15.2 overs, to displace Chennai Super Kings from second place and secure two opportunities to qualify for the final. And the persistent dew just eased it within the 15th over itself. But Yusuf Pathan going over Dale Steyn was beyond expectations! KKR had a solid start, with Robin Uthappa merely missing his half-century. Gambhir too contributed a paced 28 runs off 18 balls. Manish Pandey went away for 2, off a length ball from Karn Sharma. And there came Yusuf Pathan, having to chase 106 runs off 47 balls. Pathan got two easy lives: once he was yet to score a run, and the second time when he was on 15! Pathan unleashed his God mode and smashed 26 runs in an over off the peak Dale Steyn, with the stat reading 4, 6, 6, 4, 4, 2! Till then, he had the record of hitting the fastest half-century for a KKR coming off in 15 balls. Later, in 2022, Pat Cummins broke it by achieving it in 14 balls. Pathan’s dream innings ended when he tried to hit another six off Karn but got hold in the deep midwicket. By the time he left, it was one run-a-ball target, and KKR eased it with Suryakumar Yadav leading the chase with 12 runs coming off 5 balls. 3. Manish Pandey 94, final 2014 against PBKS PTI 2014 marked the second taste of victory for KKR, standing mostly on Manish Pandey. The then Kings XI Punjab posted 199 runs on board, thanks to Bengals Wriddhiman Saha’s 115. However, got doomed by the Manish masterclass! Chasing 200, Robbin Uthappa, who had a stellar season in 2014, fell short at 4. Even the captain “Gauti” scored 23 runs, unless the dashing Manish came. With him leading the chase from one side, he just had Yusuf Pathan on the other side, who added 36 runs off 22 balls but left to Karnaveer Singh trying to go big. KKR then lost Shakib-al-Hasan due to a nasty runout! And then left Ryan ten Doeschate, scoring just 4. Manish Pandey on the other side was guarding and accelerating the innings as necessary. Fifty off just 31 balls—but he wasn’t done. Mitchell Johnson, Parvinder Awana, Karanveer Singh—no bowler was spared. Those flicks over midwicket, the audacious cuts, the towering sixes—it was a masterclass in fearless hitting. With repeated wickets, the tension in the stands was unbearable. The bloke smacked seven boundaries and six sixes maintained a strike rate of 188. However, he left too, in the same over as Tendo, trying to hit against the turn of Karanveer. When he left, 21 still needed, but the belief never wavered. In the final over, Piyush Chawla’s six and winning boundary sealed KKR’s second IPL title, sparking wild celebrations, with Manish later dancing with Sharukh Khan, with his pads on! 2. Brendon McCullum: 158* off 73 vs RCB 2008 Getty Images April 18, 2008, wasn’t just the start of a tournament; it was the birth of a revolution. The Indian Premier League (IPL) announced itself in spectacular fashion, and at the heart of it was Brendon McCullum, a man who turned the opening game into an unforgettable spectacle. When the Kolkata Knight Riders took on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, expectations were high, but few could have predicted what was to come. KKR skipper Sourav Ganguly walked out to open alongside McCullum, who, at that time, was still finding his feet in international cricket. The New Zealander started cautiously, playing six dot balls up front, but once he found his rhythm, there was no stopping him. McCullum tore into the RCB attack, smashing Zaheer Khan for 18 runs in the second over before shifting gears in breathtaking fashion. He reached his half-century in 32 balls, but the real carnage began afterward. His next fifty came in just 21 balls, and by the time he finished unbeaten on 158* off 73 balls—blasting 10 fours and 13 sixes—KKR had amassed 222/3. RCB, rattled by the onslaught, folded for just 82, handing KKR a 140-run victory. For years, McCullum’s knock stood as KKR’s only IPL century. When Venkatesh Iyer finally broke the jinx in 2023 with 104, it came in a losing cause—unlike McCullum’s legendary, match-winning innings that set the IPL on fire. Read also: No Rescheduling for KKR vs LSG, Kolkata Police Confirms 1. Manvinder Bisla: 89 vs CSK, 2012 Final Associated Press A generation of KKR fans celebrates the franchise’s two IPL titles, yet many have forgotten the man who scripted their first triumph. Before Andre Russell’s heroics and before Sunil Narine became a T20 superstar, there was Manvinder Bisla—the unsung hero of Kolkata’s first IPL crown. It was KKR’s maiden final, and they were up against a star-studded Chennai Super Kings, the reigning champions, led by MS Dhoni. The stage was set at Chepauk, and when Gautam Gambhir—KKR’s talisman—was dismissed in the very first over, all hope seemed lost. CSK, powered by Suresh Raina’s dazzling 73, had posted a daunting 190/3. The title looked destined to remain in Chennai. But then Bisla intervened. A player who had been dropped in domestic cricket just months ago, a name barely discussed in pre-match predictions, unleashed an innings of sheer audacity. He danced down the track, carved boundaries over extra cover, and smashed Ashwin and Bravo into submission. His 89 off 48 balls turned the tide, with Jacques Kallis providing the perfect support. As Manoj Tiwary struck the winning runs, Kolkata erupted. The city already turned purple and gold, and still cherishing raw memories of the 2011 World Cup win, came on streets with celebrations stretching into the late night. Fans flooded the allies, waving the KKR flag, honoring the man who had delivered them glory. With KKR fighting to defend their recently earned title, here’s Manvinder Bisla—a name Kolkata should never forget.