Ajinkya Rahane praised Mukul Choudhary after Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a narrow loss to Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL 2026 encounter on Thursday. Choudhary, making a major impact in the middle overs, finished unbeaten on 54 off 27 deliveries and helped LSG complete a three-wicket chase.
Key takeaways
- Mukul Choudhary struck an unbeaten 54 (27 balls) to anchor Lucknow’s successful chase.
- LSG reached the target of 182 with three wickets in hand after starting the chase at 104/5.
- Rahane felt the innings was “defining,” highlighting Choudhary’s bravery and shot-making through the later overs.
- Kolkata conceded the chase in the final over as the required runs were brought down to one off the last ball via byes.
- Rahane credited both Choudhary’s batting and the overall effort of the LSG bowling unit, despite a few fielding errors.
Choudhary’s surge after a shaky middle
Choudhary walked out to bat in the 13th over when Lucknow were reeling at 104/5 while chasing 182. He started carefully, but his control shifted into aggression after key wickets fell, including Ayush Badoni and Mohammed Shami.
In the 17th over, Choudhary went after Vaibhav Arora immediately. He struck a boundary off the first ball he faced, then followed it with a six. On the third delivery of the over, he met a slow, short ball and pulled it to the left side at deep square leg for another four, before clearing the long-on boundary with a six on the next shot.
Late-over damage and a thrilling finish
The momentum carried into the 18th over, where Choudhary targeted Kartik Tyagi. He struck a six over long-off off the first ball, and then, in the fourth delivery, launched the bowler for another maximum over long-on. By the time the 19th over arrived, Lucknow were still in the chase and Choudhary delivered again against Cameron Green, smashing two sixes and adding a four as LSG moved to 168/7, needing 14 from the last six balls.
For the final over, Rahane’s decision was to keep the ball with Vaibhav Arora. Choudhary made an immediate statement by hitting a six off the first ball. In the fifth delivery, he sent another maximum to take his half-century as the scores were level. In the last delivery, Lucknow needed only one run, and it came through byes, allowing them to pull off a stunning win.
Rahane’s reaction: bravery, execution, and credit to the batter
Speaking after the match, Rahane said he believed Choudhary’s innings was “defining.” He praised the manner in which the batter played his shots and described him as brave. Rahane also stressed that in tight games, it’s difficult to isolate too many details, adding that Lucknow’s last two overs required execution at the right moments.
Rahane’s comments continued with a focus on the chase: he said the contest was about swinging momentum ball by ball, and that he felt Choudhary’s shot selections were exceptional. He acknowledged a couple of moments in the field, including misfields, but insisted that apart from that, the bowlers had done a brilliant job.
On the tactical question about whether there was an intent to keep Avesh Khan on strike early in the final over, Rahane explained the plan. He said the idea was to keep Avesh on strike, but it was also necessary to maintain five fielders inside the circle due to the field restriction and the time limit—making the situation tough for the bowler while defending in the closing over.
