How Mukul Choudhary stunned KKR with Dhoni-esque finish

It seemed like a day where Ayush Badoni would have a star-making turn. Having shown years of promise, the Delhi batter looked like he would take the Lucknow Super Giants across the line against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Chasing 181, LSG were 104/5 in the 14^th over, needing 78 off 42. Badoni, the impact sub, played quite well to get to his 50, but then mistimed an Anukul Roy delivery to hole out. “This could be the game,” said Harsha Bhogle on commentary.

The man at the other end wasn’t having that. All of 21, Mukul Choudhary decided he would be LSG’s man. The score was 128/6 when Mohammed Shami hoicked one off Sunil Narine to Roy at deep square leg. LSG needed 54 off 24. Choudhary was 2 off 6. He had a snowflake’s chance in the Thar desert.

The wicketkeeper-batter hails from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, not too far away from the Thar. And yesterday, he kept that snowflake from melting. In the next few overs, the LSG’s ₹2.6-crore buy scored 52 more to take his team to a memorable win. It was an exhibition of power and nerves from the youngster who started off as a medium pacer.

There was one helicopter shot that went straight down the ground for six, and a ridiculous lofted helicopter slash over long off. M.S. Dhoni would have been proud. In fact, he admitted after the match that he always dreamt of finishing games like Dhoni did. “I always watch M.S. (Dhoni) sir, the way he finishes. I also play at the same number, so I dedicate this to him."

Choudhary ended on 54 not out off 27 balls, with seven sixes and two fours. The rest of the LSG team had together hit five sixes, and none of them had a strike rate of over 159. Choudhary’s was 200. He credited his daily six-smashing routine for the big hits, where he would smash around 100-150 maximums at practice.

It was not mindless slogging in the match. He did not take many chances against Sunil Narine, who was the best bowler on show with figures of 4-0-13-1.

He also hit the last ball of a Cameron Green over for six, when KKR were expecting him to take a single. Avesh Khan gave him the strike back the first ball of the next over, and Choudhary hit a six.

It was down to 14 off the last over and Choudhary – playing just his third IPL game – held his nerve, hitting the penultimate ball for six after two dots. He failed to connect with the last ball, but they ran one anyway, giving LSG an unlikely win. And possibly a star for the future.

Before this season began, LSG head coach Justin Langer had said he would make Choudhary “the scariest No. 6 or 7 batter in India”. 

Last night, he became KKR’s nightmare.