Mukul Choudhary, the 21-year-old uncapped Rajasthan batter bought by Lucknow Super Giants, delivered a sensational match-winning knock against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026 at Eden Gardens on April 9.
Chasing 182, LSG were reeling at 128/7 in the 15th over when Choudhary walked in. The young power-hitter took charge in the death overs, launching a fearless assault with clean striking and powerful sixes, particularly off Kartik Tyagi, Cameron Green, and Vaibhav Arora.
He smashed an unbeaten 54 off just 27 balls, laced with 2 fours and 7 towering sixes, at a strike rate of 200. His explosive cameo, including helicopter shots and clean hits over long-on and square-leg, turned the game on its head. He added crucial runs in the final overs, finishing
the chase with a dramatic last-ball leg-bye as LSG won by 3 wickets with 0 balls to spare.
Choudhary's heroic innings earned him Player of the Match and announced his arrival on the big stage, boosting LSG's campaign with their second successive victory. And after the match, the player shared a funny anecdote on his father, who has been a pivotal part of his journey.
"My journey started when my father was not even married, his dream was his son has to play cricket. I started at the age group level, but there were no good academies in Sikar. I played matches in Delhi and Guragaon and that helped me. When I was playing against U19 versus UP, it was a low-scoring game and I made a contribution, so he knew then that I would make it big," Mukul said after the match.
The player also admitted that it was only his second match under the floodlights and the youngster played a blinder. When asked about pressure, Mukul stressed the opportunity to shine at the big stage.
"God has given me this opportunity, there can be pressure but it is also an opportunity to make a name for myself. My aim was to bat till the last and see what happens," he added.
