Mukul Choudhary stole the show for Lucknow Super Giants in the high-voltage clash against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. The 21-year-old arrived at the crease when the Risbabh Pant-led side was reduced to 104/5 in the 12.5 overs and the game was slowly slipping away from the hands of the visitors. Ayush Badoni, who was looking in good touch and scored 54 runs, departed soon and all the responsibility fell on Mukul.
At one point, the game seemed to be done and dusted in KKRโs favour but Mukul had a different plan. He launched a scathing attack on KKR bowlers, scoring unbeaten 54 runs off 27 balls. He changed the complexion of the game despite very little support from the other end and won the game, which seemed out of LSGโs reach. He stitched a 54-run partnership alongside Avesh Khan, in which the latter scored just one.ย
MI, RR were interested him too
Lucknow secured Mukul for INR 2.6 crore in the IPL auction. Three franchises, including Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, were interested in his service and that resulted in a bidding war that Lucknow won. Notably, Mukul had set his base price of INR 30 lakhs and had almost earned nine times the amount.
Mukul reveals his introduction to cricket
After winning the Player of the Match award, Mukul revealed that his father always wanted him to pursue cricket. He had a difficult beginning and only started playing cricket after the age of 11 and slowly climbed the ladder. The Sambhal-born also revealed that it was only his second-ever cricket match under the lights and was happy to win the game for the team under pressure.
โMy journey started when my father was not even married, his dream was his son has to play cricket. I started at the age group level but there were not good academies. I played matches in Delhi and Guragaon and that helped me. When I was playing against U19 versus UP, it was a low scoring game and I made a contribution, so he knew then that I would make it big. It was only my second match under lights. God has given me this opportunity, there can be pressure but it is also an opportunity to make a name for myself,โ Mukul said in the post-match presentation.ย
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