IPL 2023: Not Kohli, Rohit or Tendulkar! THIS batter was India's first centurion in cash-rich league

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition will start on Friday (March 31) when the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) will take on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium inAhmedabad. This will be thecash-rich league's 16th edition. It has become a huge brand globally with the presence of superstar cricketers, playing in front of packed stadiums, with huge money involved.

The IPL kicked off for the first time in 2008. Back then, many yesteryear Indian superstars such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble and others were also part of the league. On the other hand, current stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were in the nascent stage of their respective careers, having made a mark in the domestic circuit and at the U-19 level. The Indian cricket fans were thrilled to see their national stars adapt to the shortest format of the game and cheeredthem on their on-field heroics.

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Nonetheless, the Indian fans had to wait for a long time before a national player reached the triple-figure mark in the IPL. Brendon McCullum had slammed the first-ever IPL hundred in the league's maiden encounter while five other batters joined him in the century club in the 2008 edition. AB de Villiers scored a ton in IPL 2009 before Manish Pandey -- an uncapped player back then -- became the first Indian to reach the milestone in the tournament's history. He scored a memorable ton in Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)'s face-off versus eventual winners Deccan Chargers.

It was the 56th game of the IPL 2009 edition, at Cape Town. Opting to bat first, the Kumble-led RCB franchise rode on Pandey's 114, off 73 balls, to post 170 for 4 and restricted Adam Gilchrist & Co. for 158 for 6 to win the clash by 12 runs. Pandey's inning was laced with 10 fours and 4 sixes. He scored at a whopping 156.16 run rate.

In IPL 2023, Pandey will represent the Delhi Capitals (DC) and hope to take his side to their maiden title.