IPL 2026: Who is Mukul Choudhary? Meet youngster who turned the game for LSG against KKR

Eden Gardens will long echo the name Mukul Choudhary after the 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter orchestrated a heist for Lucknow Super Giants, snatching a last-ball, three-wicket victory from Kolkata Knight Riders in a chase of 182. Entering the fray with LSG in trouble, Choudhary bludgeoned an unbeaten 54 off 27 balls, clearing the rope seven times and finding the boundary twice, to turn a seemingly lost cause into a ‘remember the name’ moment.

The innings capped a whirlwind few months for the Rajasthan-born striker. Only last December he had announced himself on the national short-form scene with 173 runs in five Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 innings at a blistering 198.85 strike rate. That burst persuaded Lucknow Super Giants to shell out Rs 2.60 crore for his services at the IPL 2026 auction, and on Thursday night he repaid every rupee.

Choudhary’s route to the spotlight began in Jhunjhunu, where his father, Dalip Kumar Choudhary, nurtured cricket dreams for his son even before he was born. Limited facilities and financial strain never dented that resolve; Dalip first taught school, then shifted to real estate and hotels to fund proper training. Enrolled at Sikar’s SBS Cricket Academy, Mukul began as a medium-pacer until a sudden need for a wicketkeeper saw him don the gloves. Inspired by MS Dhoni, he never took them off.

Selectors soon noticed the explosive lower-order hitter whose T20 strike rate now sits above 160. A shift to Jaipur’s Aravali Cricket Academy followed, with his mother and younger sister relocating to keep daily life stable while he honed his craft. First-class and List A debuts arrived in January 2023 and December 2025 respectively, but it is in the death overs of T20 cricket that Choudhary has become a specialist.

Against KKR he showcased that pedigree, partnering Ayush Badoni—who also struck 54, from 34 balls—to complete the chase in the final delivery. The win lifts LSG’s early-season momentum and introduces Indian cricket to its newest finisher.