Who is Mukul Choudhary? All about the 21-year-old sensation who pulled off a heist in the KKR vs LSG IPL 2026 match

Since its inception, the IPL has been regarded as a platform where new talent can prove their mettle; over its 19-year journey, the league has provided countless talents with the opportunity to emerge as the next superstars of cricket. A similar story unfolded during Match No. 15 of IPL 2026, played between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. In this match—which at one point seemed all but lost—LSG defeated KKR by 3 runs on the very last ball. The laurels of victory went to a young player who, by scoring 54 runs off just 34 balls, introduced his name to the entire cricketing world.

After being invited to bat first, the Kolkata Knight Riders posted a total of 181 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs. In reply, LSG got off to a very poor start. The team's renowned batsmen—Rishabh Pant, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, and Mitchell Marsh—had all already been dismissed. When Mukul walked out to bat in the 14th over, half of the LSG team had already returned to the pavilion with the score at 104 runs. Joining him at the crease was Ayush Badoni, scoring 54 runs; however, in a sudden turn of events over the next three overs, LSG lost the wickets of Ayush and the next batter, Mohammed Shami, leaving the team's score at 128/7 after 16 overs. Yet, Mukul did not give up; single-handedly, he steered his team to their second victory of the season. His innings featured a total of 2 fours and 7 sixes.

After the match-winning knock, he revealed his cricketing Journey in the post match presentation ceremony. 

“My journey started when my father was not even married. My father had a dream that one day his son would play cricket. But back then, our family's condition wasn’t strong, so I couldn’t start early. I began playing at around 12-13 years of age. There weren’t many academies at that time. One academy was there in Sikar at that time, SBS Cricket Academy, had just opened, and I trained there for about 5–6 years. After that, I moved to Jaipur because if you want to play at a higher level, you have to move forward. I’ve been practising in Jaipur for the last four years. Then last year, I felt that T20 cricket had become much faster, especially at this level, so I needed more match experience. I stayed in Gurugram for 3-4 months and played matches in Delhi, which helped me a lot in adapting to faster-paced cricket. That’s been my journey.” 

"God has given me this opportunity, there can be pressure but it is also an opportunity to make a name for myself. My aim was to bat till the last and see what happens. Even I liked the first six, I had not scored a single six in two games, so the first one was special. In my mind I knew one out of the four balls will be in the slot and I was just waiting for it. From younger days I like hitting sixes and not playing along the ground," he said at the post-match presentation ceremony.”

Who is Mukul Choudhary?

Mukul Choudhary was born on August 6, 2004, in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. As Mukul mentioned during the post-match presentation ceremony, his father had always wanted him to become a cricketer. However, due to his family's poor financial condition, he was unable to start his career early on. He began playing cricket at the age of 12 or 13. Around that time, the S.B.S Cricket Academy opened in his district, where he trained rigorously for six years. However, to play at a higher level, he had to leave his home and relocate to Jaipur. He had been practising continuously in Jaipur for the past 3–4 years. Nevertheless, last year he had to move to Gurugram to further hone his cricketing skills, and he also played a few matches in Delhi.

He plays as a wicket-keeper for Rajasthan in domestic cricket. He made his First-Class debut in the 2023 Ranji Trophy. In four matches, he has scored 103 runs, with a highest cricket score of 45. That same year, during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he received the opportunity to open the innings for the Rajasthan Royals in his debut match against Jharkhand. In that match, he scored 35 runs off 33 balls. To date, he has scored 226 runs in 7 T20 matches at an average of 37.66, with a highest score of 62 not out. In 2025, he also got the chance to make his debut in List A cricket, in which he has scored 71 runs across 5 matches so far.

In the IPL 2026 Auction, he was acquired by the Lucknow Super Giants for ₹2.6 crore. His base price was a mere ₹30 lakh; however, with both RR and LSG opening their purses wide for this player, and in the end, LSG ultimately emerged victorious in the bidding war. His innings bore the unmistakable imprint of former Indian captain MS Dhoni. Much like Dhoni, he maintained his composure till the end and executed his shots in the same style—including the 'Helicopter Shot.' This subsequently revealed that MS Dhoni is, in fact, Mukul's idol. For his heroics knock, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant & opposition skipper Ajinkya Rahane also hailed him.  

 "When we see Mukul in the nets, when you see someone, you can see that, but when you do it in the match, it just feels amazing. Yeah, like I don't have words to describe. It's just overwhelmed from the match, but what a fantastic effort,” said Rishabh Pant about Mukul Choudhary. 

“I thought Mukul's (Choudhary) knock was defining. The way he played his shots, he was brave. But again, games like these, you don't want to pinpoint too many things. I thought till 18 overs, we were going really well. Last two overs, execution here and there can happen. But credit to Mukul and that partnership. (pace off into the wicket length had worked well for you) Yeah, those deliveries did work. But in the end, I thought, let's give credit to the batter, the way he (Mukul) batted,” said Ajinkya Rahane about Mukul during the post-match presentation ceremony.