It looked like the writing was already on the wall for Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens when wicket-keeper batter Mukul Choudhary walked in with the task of steering the chase of 182. After a measured start, the 54 he made—remaining not out on 27 balls—ignited the pursuit, and LSG finished the job on the very last delivery against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Many fans may say Mukul Choudhary was “off-script” for this kind of impact, but his teammate Arjun Tendulkar had effectively issued a warning in advance about the six-hitting threat the 22-year-old carries. In an interview with Shubhankar Mishra, Arjun described how stunned he was by Mukul’s all-round strike-making in a practice setting, insisting the hitter can go after bowlers from anywhere on the ground.
“Mukul Choudhary hits amazing sixes. Yesterday, in a practice match, I saw his sixes. I was really impressed. He hits everywhere—square-leg, point, upper cut, and also behind the bowler. I was really impressed by his batting,” Arjun Tendulkar said during the conversation with Shubhankar Mishra.
Arjun also highlighted that Mukul Choudhary is one of the LSG players to keep under close watch this season, pointing to the way the youngster’s game seems to cover multiple hitting zones.
In the match itself, KKR required 54 runs from the final four overs to turn the game their way, and Mukul was the lone recognized batter holding the chase together in the middle. Even with death-overs pressure mounting and facing notable bowlers such as Cameron Green, Kartik Tyagi and Vaibhav Arora, he leaned on his 360-degree style—finding the boundary repeatedly and launching sixes across the ground.
After the chase, LSG captain Rishabh Pant admitted he struggled to put words to what Mukul had done. Pant stressed that belief and trust were key, explaining that when a player is backed properly, performances like this can follow.
“I do not have words to describe but what a fantastic effort. One thing I made sure of personally is trust, and when you believe in someone, a player can do wonders. The character, with each and every match like this, shows something is building. We don’t want to talk much about it, but something is cooking inside,” Pant said about the young wicket-keeper batter’s display.
LSG head coach Justin Langer too heaped praise on Mukul Choudhary, drawing comparisons that highlighted both his running style and the calm confidence he brings to big totals. Langer said Mukul moves between the wickets with pace like Virat Kohli, while also chasing scores with the intent and responsibility associated with MS Dhoni.
“What I love most about him is that he’s a real athlete. The way he runs between the wickets is elite, like Virat. But the other thing is his game sense. We’ve had some practice games, and the way he talks about the game feels like he’s played 300 matches already. He’s got power, he’s a great athlete, and he’s got grace. As we both know, that’s a pretty good combination,” Langer said.
