Lucknow Super Giants have unearthed a new star in 21-year-old Mukul Choudhary who smashed a remarkable 54 in 27 balls to take his team to a three-wicket victory off the last ball in a thrilling Tata IPL clash with the Kolkota Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in Kolkota on Thursday night.
It looked for all the world as if KKR would register their first win of the campaign when they reduced Lucknow to 128 for seven at the end of the 16th over, chasing 182 for victory.
But, in an incredible display of wristy hitting in which he whipped seven sixes and a couple of fours, Choudhary took his team to an unlikely win.
𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓. 𝐀. 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐊 🤯
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 9, 2026
Mukul Choudhary was absolutely brilliant in Kolkata 👏
He pulls off a famous heist for @LucknowIPL 🔥🔥
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/ov5gAlAtPH #TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #KKRvLSG pic.twitter.com/CXo53CQmLf
He smacked two sixes in the final over from paceman Vaibhav Arora to go to his 1st IPL 50, but then missed the final ball with one needed.
But the batters scampered through for a bye to complete a remarkable triumph for the visitors.
𝗔𝗕𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗬 𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 😮
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 9, 2026
One word for this knock?
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/ov5gAlAtPH #TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #KKRvLSG | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/euZOaEGtu2
Before Choudhary’s heroics only Ayush Badoni’s 54 in 34 balls, including some beautifully timed strokes, looked like getting the Giants home in the face of some superb spin bowling from Sunil Narine (1-13 in four overs) and Anukul Roy (2-32).
The visitors' top-order had succumbed to a series of short balls imperfectly timed with Aiden Markram (22) and Rishabh Pant failing to clear the boundary.
CONTROVERSIAL CATCH
Earlier, Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi gave their team a fast start after they lost their first wicket in the second over in controversial circumstances.
Destructive opener Finn Allen got a leading edge to third man where Digvesh Rathi took a fine catch on the boundary edge.
Replays suggested, however, that he might have touched the fence with a toe.
Controversy at its peak 😳
— Pan India Review (@PanIndiaReview) April 9, 2026
Finn Allen… OUT or SIX 👀
Toe looked right on the cushion but umpire didn’t blink!
Drama, debate, and pure IPL chaos 🔥
What’s your call — OUT or SIX 🤯#KKRvsLSGpic.twitter.com/cRZJPzVqG9
Rahane and Raghuvanshi then settled quickly to add 84 in 52 balls as KKR raced to 98-1 at the end of the 10th over before a middle-order slump ensued after Rahane (41 off 24 balls) was nicely taken at mid-on by Mohammad Shami.
In the next five overs three wickets fell for just 17 runs with Raghuvanshi (45 off 33 balls) falling tamely to a catch at long-on and Rinku Singh bowled by Avesh Khan.
Cameron Green, of whom much is expected, began under the mental cosh, struggling to give full expression to his talents.
It took the arrival of Rovman Powell to kick-start the innings again and the West Indian muscled four fours and two sixes in his 24-ball 39.
Green finished his innings better than he started it, finishing unbeaten on 32 in 24 balls as the pair added an unbroken 70 in six overs to take KKR to their final total of 181 for four.
LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, M Siddharth, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS: Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Navdeep Saini, Kartik Tyagi