In a thrilling IPL 2026 showdown at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) triumphed over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by three wickets. The highlight of the match was Mukul Choudhary’s explosive unbeaten 54 off just 27 balls. Coming in lower down the order, the 21-year-old dazzled the crowd with two boundaries and an astonishing seven sixes.
Faf du Plessis, the former South African cricket star, commented on Choudhary’s performance, noting how some of his flick shots reminded him of the legendary MS Dhoni. “It’s incredible to witness such awareness and power from the young man. The batting was unbelievable, and the game had so many twists and turns, especially as it came down to the wire. Those flick shots really took me back to watching MS Dhoni in his prime—so much power behind them,” he shared on JioHotstar.
In this exciting IPL 2026 clash, KKR set a competitive target, scoring 181 runs for four wickets in their 20 overs. Captain Ajinkya Rahane led the charge with a brisk 41 runs off 24 balls, featuring four boundaries and two sixes. Opening batsman Finn Allen contributed nine runs from eight balls, while wicketkeeper Angkrish Raghuvanshi added 45 runs from 33 deliveries, hitting five fours and two sixes. Rinku Singh managed just four runs off seven balls.
Cameron Green and Rovman Powell finished strongly for KKR, with Green scoring 32 runs from 24 balls and Powell hitting 39 runs off 24 balls, both contributing to a solid total. For LSG, bowlers Prince Yadav, M Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, and Avesh Khan each took a wicket, while Mohammed Shami went wicketless.
In response, LSG’s Impact Player Ayush Badoni played a crucial role, scoring 54 runs off 34 balls, supported by Choudhary’s explosive finish. The team chased down the target, finishing at 182 runs for the loss of seven wickets.
Kolkata’s Vaibhav Arora and Anukul Roy each claimed two wickets, while Sunil Narine, Kartik Tyagi, and Green took one wicket apiece.