What makes the IPL match between KKR and RCB known as “El Primero”?

One of the most anticipated matchups of the 2024 IPL would pit the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Will Yash Dayal make up for his five sixes in the previous over against Rinku Singh? Or Mohammed Siraj versus Phil Salt, or Mitchell Starc against Glenn Maxwell and Virat Kohli? Or maybe the most significant of them, Virat Kohli vs. Gautam Gambhir? Even though Gambhir wasn’t with KKR, the two collided as the former India opener supported his player Naveen ul Haq in his role as manager of the Lucknow Super Giants last year. The two well-known Indian cricketers have faced each other three times.

From Chris Gayle’s historic century in his first match against his old team, KKR, in the 2011 edition to the first-ever heated altercation between Gambhir and Kohli during the 2013 match. After that, in 2015, there was another argument between the two, or two years later, they gave up to 49 all out, which remains the lowest team score in IPL history. Then, in a thrilling match in 2019, Virat Kohli hit his fifth IPL century as RCB won. However, in the same match the same year, Andre Russell’s 13-ball 48 enabled KKR to chase down 53 off the last three overs.

However, why is the KKR vs. RCB game referred to as the IPL’s El Primero? Because it all began with this same match 16 years ago, when Brendon McCullum of the Knight Riders destroyed the Men in Red by 158* in the tournament’s first match in 2008. The match was ultimately won by the two-time winners by an overwhelming 140 runs. The competition was going to light up and transform Indian cricket and T20 cricket for all time, and that knock and match set the tone.

‘El Primero’, the first, derives from the fact that it was the oldest rivalry and the first-ever match. Over the years, the rivalry has produced numerous memorable moments. On Friday, March 29, at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, supporters and fans will wish for nothing different since both sides are coming off victories and the context has several layers and subtexts. Who will it be, then? Indeed, we can’t wait!