Mukul Choudhary smashed 54* off 27 balls to help LSG chase down 182 on the last delivery against KKR.
Mukul's power-hitting saw LSG recover from 128/7 to overhaul the target of 182 on the last delivery. Ayush Badoni (54 off 34) also slammed a half-century during the chase.
After the game, Mukul opened up on his journey from a small-town humble background to his match-winning exploits in the IPL 2026, revealing the immense financial hardships his family faced to support his cricket dream.
“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,” Mukul said after receiving the Player-of-the-Match award.
The 21-year-old revealed that his father realized he could become something big during an Under-19 match against Uttar Pradesh.
“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.”
When asked about handling the intense pressure of chasing in the death overs, Mukul credited his positive mindset for shifting his focus from the stress of the situation to the massive opportunity it presented.
“There 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,” he stated.
After Mohammad Shami’s dismissal in the 16th over, Mukul Choudhary shared an unbeaten 54-run partnership with Avesh Khan to take LSG over the line.
“(On what was the plan when Shami got out?) 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,” Mukul said.
His knock was studded with 2 fours and 7 sixes. When asked to pick his favorite six, Mukul said: “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.”
The youngster also shared a sneak peek into his thinking before the penultimate delivery of the last over, which went for a six and LSG levelled the scores. On the final ball, Mukul couldn't connect, but Avesh scampered through for a bye to seal the win.
“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 said.
“(On his preparation for hitting sixes) 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 remarked.
Mukul cited his roots in Jhunjhunu—a region in Rajasthan widely known for its high contribution to the Indian Army—as the source of his fearless mindset.
“It's in my blood. I'm doing it here but they serve the country at the border,” he concluded.