Summary of this article
Mukul Choudhary played a knock of unbeaten 54 to help LSG beat KKR
His half-century came up in just 27 deliveries
Mukul's lower order heroics pulled LSG over the line in a tough chase
In Match 15 of IPL 2026, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) found an unlikely hero in Mukul Choudhary, whose explosive half-century stunned the Eden Gardens crowd and handed the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) their third defeat of the season. Coming in at a stage where the chase seemed to be slipping away, Choudhary turned the game on its head with a blistering 54 off just 27 balls.
Choudhary walked to the crease with LSG reeling after the quick dismissals of Nicholas Pooran and Abdul Samad. With the required run rate climbing toward 11, he took the aggressive route against KKR’s pacers. His innings was a masterclass in clean hitting, featuring seven towering sixes and only two boundaries. He targeted the shorter square boundaries at Eden Gardens, repeatedly clearing the ropes against the pace of Cameron Green and Kartik Tyagi.
His fifty came up in just 26 deliveries. His strike rate of 200.00 forced KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane to constantly shuffle his field, but the local bowlers had no answer for his clean bat swing. His fifty proved to be the decisive factor in bridging the gap toward the 182-run target.
Needing 13 runs off the final over, Mukul kept his composure against Vaibhav Arora. He smashed two towering sixes before scampering for the winning run on the very last ball of the match. His 26-ball fifty and finishing act earned him the Player of the Match award.
With this win, LSG secures their second consecutive victory of the 2026 season, while KKR remains winless at home.
Mukul Choudhary's SMAT Performance Earned Him IPL Gig
Mukul Choudhary’s rise to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) squad is a classic story of a domestic breakout. After a stellar run for Rajasthan, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter became one of the most talked-about uncapped players heading into the 2026 IPL season.
Choudhary’s path to the IPL was paved by an extraordinary performance in the Men’s U-23 State A Trophy, where he was the only player to cross the 600-run mark. He finished with 617 runs at an average of 103, hitting 34 sixes—the highest in the tournament.
He scored 173 runs in five matches in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) at a massive strike rate of 199. His ability to clear the ropes with ease caught the attention of several IPL scouts. While his red-ball numbers were more modest (103 runs in four games), his reputation as a scary lower-order finisher was firmly established.
Entering the mini-auction with a modest base price of INR 30 Lakh, Choudhary’s name triggered one of the most intense bidding wars of the event. Eventually he was sold for INR 30 Lakh to LSG who trumped bids from Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Mumbai Indians (MI).
Mukul Choudhary's Reaction After Winning Player Of The Match
After his match-winning performance against KKR, Mukul opened up on his journey as a cricket.
"My journey actually started even before I was born. My father had a dream that one day his son would play cricket. But back then, our family condition wasn’t strong, so I couldn’t start early. I began playing at around 12-13 years of age. There weren’t many academies at that time. One academy was there in Sikar at that time, SBS Cricket Academy, had just opened, and I trained there for about 5–6 years. After that, I moved to Jaipur because if you want to play at a higher level, you have to move forward. I’ve been practicing in Jaipur for the last four years".
"Then last year, I felt that T20 cricket had become much faster, especially at this level, so I needed more match experience. I stayed in Gurugram for 3-4 months and played matches in Delhi, which helped me a lot in adapting to faster-paced cricket. That’s been my journey. (when did your dad realise that he could become something big?) My father tells me about one Under-19 match against the UP - it was a low-scoring game, no-one else really performed in that game, but I scored runs. That day, he felt confident that I could make it".
Mukul also talked about his inexperience of playing under lights and making most of the opportunity under pressure.
"This is just my 2nd match under lights. here is pressure, sir. But I think that God has given me this opportunity, so I just believe in my ability. This is a chance where you can become something big or make a name for yourself. So I focus on the opportunity, not the pressure".
On being quizzed about his plan and which one was his favourite six, Mukul was candid.
"My plan was simple - I wanted to stay till the end. I trust myself that if I remain not out till the last, I can win the game. I just focus on playing my shots. If the ball comes into my area, I’ll hit it. The rest, whatever happens, happens. (favorite six he hit?) The first one. I hadn’t hit a six in the previous two matches, so that first six was special for me. That was good too (the one over point which he hit for six), sir… but the first six was the most special for me."
"My thinking was that even if the bowler delivers four perfect balls, at least one will come into my zone. I just need one ball to hit a six. I was waiting for that ball - it could be the second-last or even the last ball. But I knew I would get it".
Mukul also provided insights on how his preparation has been behind generating so much power behind the ball.
"Since childhood, I’ve always played attacking cricket. I’ve always been someone who hits. Now I understand my game better - if the ball comes into my area, I know I have to hit it". He signed off.
