NEW DELHI: After wrapping up IPL 2026 and heading back home, Mukul Choudhary said he carried more than just a season’s worth of memories. He spoke of the thrill of a standout debut campaign, the pride of sharing a dressing room with players he once watched from afar, and the lessons that helped him sharpen his game. Yet for Mukul, the clearest sense of satisfaction was personal—knowing he could finally help ease his family’s long-running financial strain by repaying a bank loan used to build a house.
From the auction room to the homecoming
In the build-up to IPL 2026, Mukul earned his route into the league when Lucknow Super Giants picked him up for Rs 2.60 crore at the auction. With his first season now complete and his earnings secured, he is set to return home and assist in clearing the debt his family has carried for years. In an interview, he described how the loan story began long before cricket brought a change in fortunes.
“My father was a teacher before all this. Then we sold our house. My grandfather, who had retired from the Army, supported us with some money. We also borrowed from my uncle,” Mukul said. “With that, we bought a piece of land, and later took a bank loan to build a hotel on it. For a long time, we lived in rented accommodation. Since I started playing cricket, our family has been moving from one rented home to another.”
He added that the repayment will bring closure to a chapter his family has been carrying. “Now all those debts will be cleared. I’m happy I could do this for my family. All thanks to IPL and LSG,” Mukul said, pointing to the impact the league has had on his life beyond the boundary.
Quick facts
- Mukul Choudhary was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 2.60 crore at the IPL auction.
- In his debut IPL season, he hit 12 sixes and finished with 170 runs from 10 matches at a 141.66 strike rate.
- His defining knock came versus Kolkata Knight Riders: 57 off 27 balls with seven sixes during a successful chase for Lucknow Super Giants.
- Before IPL, he scored 173 runs in five innings in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 at a 198.85 strike rate.
- He credited support and learning from figures including Rishabh Pant, and guidance from Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran.
First IPL six, and a night he won’t forget
Mukul still gets goosebumps when he recalls his IPL moment at Eden Gardens. Facing Kolkata Knight Riders, he delivered one of the most decisive knocks of the season — smashing 57 off 27 balls with seven huge sixes to help Lucknow Super Giants complete a chase described as a stunning heist. After the win was sealed, he stood at the middle of the ground with folded hands, head tilted skyward, fully absorbing the magnitude of what had just unfolded.
Looking back, Mukul said T20 cricket has evolved dramatically. “A lot has changed in T20 cricket. For one, the Impact Player rule has come in. Earlier, batters were expected to build long innings and stay at the crease. Now teams have two all-rounders and batting goes all the way down to No. 9. The mindset has changed—once you walk in, you’re expected to attack,” he explained.
He also pointed to the modern training ecosystem that now surrounds young talent. “Earlier, one coach at an academy would work with 20 or 30 children. Today, the support system is built around a talented player from a very young age. Look at Vaibhav Sooryavanshi—his father travelled with him everywhere while he was growing up. Having a mentor and specialised coaches has become extremely important,” Mukul added.
According to him, the shift is not only about coaching access but also about repetition and focus. “Players now get personalised training plans, book grounds for individual practice, and receive far more targeted attention. All of that has changed the game significantly,” he said.
More than a tournament
For Mukul, the IPL was never just another event on the calendar. He described the league as a massive platform for someone like him, saying he felt fortunate to receive the opportunity. “Every cricketer’s first dream is to play for India, and the IPL opens that pathway,” he said.
He added that the speed of change surprised him. “I never imagined so many things would happen so quickly. My family was overjoyed as well. Everything that followed was completely unexpected,” Mukul said.
The hard work behind the rise
Before the IPL spotlight arrived, Mukul spent long stretches pursuing the dream. He spoke about travelling constantly between Gurgaon and Bharatpur to keep playing matches and improving his game. Often, he would spend entire nights on buses so he could be ready to bat the next day.
“I trained extensively in Gurugram as well. There were days when I would catch an overnight bus, reach Bharatpur in the morning, play a match there, travel back through the night, and then play another match in Gurugram the very next day. For two to three months, my entire focus was on cricket,” he said.
Mukul also credited his brother for keeping his routine steady during that intense period. “My brother stayed with me the whole time. He looked after my diet and daily routine while also continuing his own studies. He helped me immensely. I wouldn’t call it a struggle, but it required a lot of hard work. The goal was always to take my game to the next level,” he added.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy turning point
Those efforts eventually paid off. After impressing in age-group cricket, Mukul scored 173 runs in five innings in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26, striking at 198.85. That performance helped him earn an IPL contract with Lucknow Super Giants.
He also reflected on the emotional support behind the journey. “Even before my dad got married, it was his dream that his son would play cricket. Financial condition was not very good at the start. But my father and mother did all they could to support me. My brother was always with me, took care of me, and helped me in chasing my dreams,” Mukul said.
Learning from Pant, Marsh and others
In Mukul’s telling, the IPL education went beyond raw performances. The tournament taught him how to handle pressure and read match situations more effectively. “I learned a great deal from my time there. The one thing everyone kept telling me was to stay positive—whether it was handling pressure situations or adapting my batting to the demands of the match,” he said.
He credited Mitchell Marsh for a key batting principle. “Mitchell Marsh would often tell me, ‘Bat as deep into the innings as you can. If you’re still there, you can win matches for your team. There’s no point throwing your wicket away in a hurry.’” Mukul said he also gained from conversations and coaching involving Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran.
“And yes, I spent a lot of time working on my six-hitting as well,” he added.
But the biggest influence, he said, came from captain Rishabh Pant. “The biggest support for me was the trust Pant Bhaiya showed in me. He would always say, ‘Brother, we trust you, so you need to trust yourself too. You’re here because you’re good enough to be here. You haven’t reached this level by accident—you’ve done something special to earn this opportunity. So back yourself and believe in your ability.’ His faith in me gave me a lot of confidence,” Mukul said.
IPL 2026 numbers, and plans for what’s next
Mukul’s overall IPL 2026 return stood at 170 runs from 10 matches, with a 141.66 strike rate and 12 sixes. Even though Lucknow Super Giants endured a disappointing campaign and became the first team eliminated from the tournament, Mukul insisted he remains optimistic and focused on improvement.
“All I would like to say is that we couldn’t perform as well this season as they had hoped. But we’ll make sure we don’t fall short next time. We’ll come back stronger and do much better,” he said.
He also underlined how much he wants to refine ahead of the next edition. “I learned a tremendous amount from this IPL. The tournament taught me a lot, and I’ve already started thinking about what I want to improve before next season. In a few days, I’ll begin preparing again,” Mukul concluded.
Stay updated: Keep an eye on IPL 2026 coverage, including the final between RCB and GT, plus live match updates and the race for the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.
