Success in cricket doesn’t always start with a standout talent—it can begin with a promise carried for years. For Mukul Choudhary, the biggest moment of his rise with Lucknow Super Giants came on Thursday, when he chose to dedicate his breakthrough rather than enjoy it alone.
Just after turning into an unlikely match-winner for LSG at the Eden Gardens against Kolkata Knight Riders, Mukul lifted his bat to his father. “I dedicate this to my father,” he said after delivering an unbeaten, match-winning knock. He added that his father always believed his son should play the game, even before marriage.
Quick facts
- Mukul Choudhary dedicated his match-winning effort to his father after LSG’s game versus Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.
- He finished unbeaten in his innings, the highlight being seven sixes in a 24-ball 54.
- LSG’s squad paid him an IPL contract worth INR 2.6 crore.
- Dalip Choudhary’s journey traces back to inspiration linked to Sachin Tendulkar’s Ferrari.
- Mukul has played four first-class matches, five List A games, and 10 T20 matches.
- In Under-23 List A last season, Mukul scored 617 runs in nine matches and hit 39 sixes.
Dalip Choudhary, from Jaipur but originally from Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan, was visibly proud, though he refused to label it the finish line. He described the dedication to his son as natural, saying there’s no drama in it—only the belief that the next stage is mandatory.
Dalip stressed that the path now runs through bigger targets: Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare, Mushtaq Ali, and then the ultimate step—playing for the country. “That is no other option for him,” he said, framing the achievement as a gateway rather than a destination.
The Ferrari spark
Long before Mukul’s name became familiar to IPL scouts, Dalip’s ambitions were shaped by a memory of Sachin Tendulkar’s Ferrari. He recalled that, before being married, he saw Tendulkar’s car—said to have been worth more than INR 1 crore, with customs duty alone consuming a similar share—and it symbolised the rewards of representing India.
To Dalip, it wasn’t just a luxury; it was proof that cricket could change lives. He spoke about growing up playing in a village with limited resources, sometimes even arranging a carpenter to make a bat, and wondering how players became famous and how many people watched them.
That fascination hardened into a plan: keep playing despite the lack of facilities, and train his children to chase the sport. He said he was blessed with Mukul in 2004 and later had a daughter preparing for the Civil Services examination.
Training, according to Dalip, began with building an athlete’s body before cricketing skills took over. He described spending 10 to 12 years on Mukul’s physical preparation—taking him to the ground in the mornings and evenings, supervising workouts, ensuring regular exercise, and monitoring diet to support consistent development.
Dalip also revealed that he was not always available full-time for cricket, because he was preparing for the Rajasthan Administrative (Civil) Services from 2003 to 2010. As Mukul started growing up around 2010–11, Dalip turned to property work to earn money, eventually building his own house around 2013–14 and holding a small agricultural patch in Jhunjhunu.
But the comfort of home did not last. Dalip said he had to sell off the property for Mukul’s career. He first moved to Sikar, then later to Jaipur, where the family currently lives in a rented place.
He explained the timeline clearly: he took Mukul to Sikar in 2015, had savings then, but by 2017 money ran short. To manage expenses, he sold his house for INR 21.11 lakh. In 2019, he took a bank loan and started a small business, and over time he built a pool of around 3 crore by taking loans from the bank, brothers, in-laws, and friends.
Even with financial pressure, Dalip said he never allowed Mukul to face a shortage of training support. He stayed with him in Sikar for five years rather than sending him to a hostel, specifically so his son’s meals and day-to-day care remained in check. In 2022, the family shifted to Jaipur with Dalip’s family, and he continues to live there on rent.
Dalip added that he still plans to build a house one day and repay the loans—both to the bank and to the relatives who helped him along the way. The belief, he said, is growing because Mukul has begun earning well.
From SMAT to IPL payday
Mukul’s IPL deal with Lucknow Super Giants is worth INR 2.6 crore. Dalip noted an unusual detail: LSG was the only franchise that did not call him for trials. The turning point, the story goes, came when an LSG video analyst spotted him during a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match and alerted the management.
Mukul had also gone through trials for Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals—both of whom showed interest at the auction. The 21-year-old was eventually bought by LSG, after the bidding teams had already made their claims.
His domestic record reflects a player still early in the professional curve: four first-class appearances, five List A games, and 10 T20 matches. Scouts in Jaipur, however, believed he fits the white-ball game better than red-ball cricket.
Rahul Kanwat, a Rajasthan selector who picked Mukul for the Ranji Trophy in 2023, said Mukul has a strong range of shots and is likely to be especially effective in limited-overs cricket. That expectation was reinforced by his Under-23 List A performances last season.
In just nine Under-23 List A matches, Mukul amassed 617 runs — the highest total by any player in the tournament. He also set a benchmark for the most sixes, smashing 39, and carried that big-hitting reputation directly into the Eden Gardens game.
Against Kolkata Knight Riders, his match-winning impact included seven maximums in an unbeaten 24-ball 54. The bigger breakout, though, came earlier in the season when he guided Rajasthan to a three-wicket win over Delhi with an unbeaten 62.
That chase featured an explosive finish: Mukul struck 24 runs off the final over, a burst that earned strong praise and underlined why auctions and scouts were taking him seriously. The faith in his value was also visible in his father’s recollection of the auction talk.
Dalip recalled that Mukul told him he wouldn’t accept anything below INR 1 crore at the auction. Instead, the deal turned out to be more than double what he expected. With the money now beginning to flow for the Choudharys, Dalip’s dream of upgrading their future—and possibly bringing home a Ferrari of their own—feels closer than ever.
