IPL 2026: Who is Mukul Choudhary? 21-Year-Old’s 54-Run Knock Steers LSG to Victory over KKR

Young batter Mukul Choudhary powered LSG to a thrilling last-ball victory over KKR with a stunning unbeaten 54 off 27 balls. Walking in under pressure, his fearless hitting turned the match around. The piece also highlights his journey from Rajasthan cricket to earning his maiden IPL contract.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) young batter Mukul Choudhary pulled off a thrilling three-wicket victory in the IPL 2026 clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata on Thursday, April 9.

With a 182-run target, the LSG chased it down on the final ball of the match. Mukul Choudhary was one of the central figures in the visitors’ thrilling victory over the hosts, as his unbeaten knock of 54 off 27 balls, including 7 sixes and 2 fours, at an impressive strike rate of 200.00, guided his team home under pressure. Earlier, Ayush Badoni scored 54 off 34 balls, including 7 fours and 2 sixes, at a strike rate of 158.82.

For the KKR, Ankul Roy led the bowling attack with figures of 2/32 at an economy rate of 8.00 in his spell of four overs. Vaibhav Arora also picked two wickets while conceding 38 runs at an economy rate of 9.50 in four overs. Sunil Narine (1/13), Karthik Tyagi (1/31), and Cameron Green (1/28) picked a wicket each.

How did Mukul Choudhary Pull Off a Heist for LSG?

The name Mukul Choudhary is expected to create a lot of buzz and grab headlines across the cricketing world, as the 21-year-old announced his arrival on the big stage with a fearless, match-winning knock under pressure. Choudhary’s intent, composure, and fearlessness stole the spotlight at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.

Walking in to bat after Abdul Samad’s dismissal at 104/5, with LSG needing 78 off 43 balls, Mukul joined Ayush Badoni at the crease. However, the pair failed to build a partnership, as Badoni was dismissed at 125/6, followed by Mohammed Shami, who departed at 128/7. The two quick wickets gave an edge to KKR, but Mukul Choudhary didn’t lose any hope and took it upon himself to finish the job.

In the death overs, Mukul launched a counterattack with fearless strokeplay, smashing 40 off 18 balls to bring the equation down from 54 off 24 to 14 off 6. His 16 runs against Cameron Green in the penultimate over were the turning point of the LSG’s run chase, reigniting hopes of chasing down the target.

In the final over, Mukul smashed two sixes off Vaibhav Arora, one of which not only helped him helped complete his maiden IPL fifty in just 27 balls, but also brought down the equation from 7 off 2 balls to 1 off 1 ball to win the match. On the final ball, the 21-year-old missed his shot but managed to scramble through for a single, sealing a thrilling last-ball victory for LSG.

Mukul Choudhary shared a 54-run stand for the eighth wicket with Avesh Khan (1*), and the 21-year-old scored 52 of those runs himself, highlighting his dominance in the partnership and single-handedly steering LSG to a memorable victory under immense pressure.

Who is Mukul Choudhary?

Mukul Choudhary’s journey to the IPL was shaped by his father, Dalip Kumar Choudhary, who wanted his son to be a cricketer. As revealed by the youngster in the post-match presentation, his father decided to make him a cricketer even before he was born.

Choudhary began playing cricket at the age of 12 and enrolled at SBS Cricket Academy in Sikar, where he trained for 5-6 years before moving to Jaipur for better opportunities and advanced coaching. The Rajasthan cricketer stated that he has been training in Jaipur for the past four years. He also played matches in Gurugram and Delhi to adapt to T20 cricket, gaining valuable exposure and experience in competitive conditions.

Interestingly, Mukul Choudhary started his cricketing journey as a medium-pace bowler but became a wicketkeeper by chance during an academy match. The youngster made his senior domestic debut for Rajasthan in a Ranji Trophy match against Chhattisgarh in Jodhpur in January 2023. Thereafter, he made his T20 debut in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Jharkhand in October that year.

In 2025, Mukul Choudhary made his List A debut in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025/26, the 21-year-old has amassed 173 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 57.66 in five matches. His performance made him one of the key uncapped targets for the franchises at the IPL 2026 mini-auction in December last year.

Mukul Choudhary entered the auction at a base price of INR 30 lakh and was eventually snapped up by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 2.6 crore, marking a massive 766.67% increase from his base price. This was his first-ever IPL contract, capping off his rapid rise in domestic cricket and marking the beginning of a promising career on the biggest T20 stage.