Another final thriller, another defeat. Kolkata Knight Riders remained winless in the Indian Premier League 2026 season after losing to Lucknow Super Giants on Thursday, April 9, as Mukul Choudhary grabbed two points right from under the noses of Ajinkya Rahane and his men at the Eden Gardens.
Defending 181, Kolkata were eyeing their first win of the season. A spin choke in the middle overs, led by Sunil Narine and Anukul Roy, kept KKR ahead of the game. But in the final two overtimes, the home team pulled off a thunderous knock from the twenty-one-year-old Mukulu, who simply refused to give up.
KKR vs LSG: Highlights | Scorecard
Born in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, a small town nearly 200 kilometers northwest of Jaipur, Mukul was already touted as the next big finisher in the IPL. Justin Langer raved about him at the start of the season, and the youngster lived up to that praise as the league unveiled another potential star on Thursday night. Mukul Choudhary after winning the game vs KKR. (Photo by Reuters)
Chasing 182, Mukul walked in at a precarious moment. LSG lost Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran and Abdul Samad in quick succession, leaving the chase in disarray. Soon after, in the 13th over, Ayush Badoni, who made 54 off 34, also lost the set and looked set to go deep into the game.
Mukul had no choice but to counterattack. He bided his time against Narine and Roy, who operated at their best, and waited until the 17th over to launch his attack.
With Avesh Khan at the other end, it was clear that it had to be Mukul or nothing for LSG.
He started with a four and a six from Vaibhav Arora in the 17th over, followed by two sixes from Kartik Tyagi in the 18th over. The momentum definitely changed in the 19th over when Mukul crushed Cameron Green for three sixes and a four before taking on Vaibhav again with three more sixes in the final over.
Even then, the drama was far from over. Mukul missed two consecutive yorkers leaving LSG needing seven from two balls. He responded with a sharp cut over point for a six, reducing the equation to one off the last ball.
Mukul swung hard, missed and ran for a single. The throw by keeper Angkrish Raghuvanshi hit the body, but by then KKR already knew the result. Heads dropped, shoulders slumped as the game faded away at Eden Gardens.
More to follow…
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
09 Apr 2026 23:53 IST
