On Friday, Mukul Choudhary became an overnight sensation in the IPL as he smashed an unbeaten 27-ball 54, including seven massive sixes, to help Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pull off a heist against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic Eden Gardens. The 21-year-old was bought by LSG for Rs 2.60 crore. NEW DELHI: “We didn’t find a single moment in the rain, In this one lap passed, The clouds covered us a lot, But we learned not to laugh. ((Nothing is achieved in a moment; a whole phase of life has passed in this struggle. We have accumulated countless clouds and only then have we learned how to become a river). The poem is from poet Sandeep Dwivedi’s book ‘Rone Se Kuch Hota Hai Kya’ and the line is also the WhatsApp status of Dallip Choudhary, father of Mukul Choudhary.
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How Justin Langer’s Faith Helped Mukul Choudhary Shine”It’s a pretty straight line. We are both a father and son story. (This line perfectly describes the journey of my son and me),” Dalip Choudhary told TimesofIndia.com.From his youth, Mukul faced hardships. Whether it was his father selling their house, or their struggle to find a good cricket academy, or regular visits from moneylenders, or his father going to jail, the journey was anything but easy. After Lucknow Super Giants’ second match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 21-year-old struggled to find his rhythm with the bat in a tight chase. Captain Rishabh Pant eventually drove LSG home and tried to boost Mukul’s confidence after hitting the winning shot.
Mukul Choudhary of Lucknow Super Giants celebrates after winning the match. (NOT a photo)
However, the youngster did not contain his emotions after returning to the team hotel. Dalip, who was watching the match from his home in Jhunjhunu, noticed his son’s red eyes during the video call.“Maine pucha usse, beta ro liya? (I asked him, son, did you cry?). He nodded and smiled,” Choudhary said.“He was frustrated that he couldn’t finish the game. He kept saying that the LSG management bought him for so much money, so what was the point if he couldn’t win games for them? He was upset. He promised me that he would make everyone proud in the next game and he fulfilled that promise,” he added.
He promised me that he would make everyone proud in the next match, and he fulfilled that promise.
Father of Mukesh Choudhary
Choudhary hails from the small village of Khedaro Ki Dhani in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. When LSG signed him in the auction for Rs 2.60 crore, more than 13 times his base price, the first thing he promised his father was to repay the loans taken to support his cricketing dream. His father even sold their house to keep the dream alive.“I graduated in 2003, the same year I got married, and I had a dream that if I had a son, he would play cricket. The next year, I was blessed with a son and I decided from a very young age that I would do everything to make him a cricketer. Jab itne saare log bante hai toh mera beta kyun nahi, why can my son do so much?”
Mukesh Choudhary with his father at their home. (Special arrangements)
For six years, Dalip Choudhary had been preparing for the Rajasthan Administrative Service but failed to clear the exam. He then entered the real estate business, which also failed. In 2016, father and son in search of a good cricket academy reached out to SBS Crickhub in Sikar, about 70 km from home.“Once I registered it, I realized I didn’t have enough money. I decided to sell my house because I didn’t have a regular income. I got Rs 21 million. I asked the buyer to transfer the entire amount to my account so that everything would be on record. The next year, I opened a hotel and took another loan. Yes, I didn’t pay the installments on time. I even went to jail, but I never committed fraud,” he said.
My relatives left me. They told me I was crazy. Khud ki zindagi barbaad kar di, ab apne bete ko baksh de (You have ruined your own life, now spare your son)
Father of Mukesh Choudhary
“My relatives abandoned me. They called me a madman. ‘Khud ki zindagi barbaad kar di, ab apne bete ko baksh de’ (You ruined your own life, now spare your son). These are some of the things that were said to my face. It only strengthened my family. These harsh words made me even more sure that I am on the right path,” he added.Dalip himself played cricket but only played local tournaments in his village.“For me, it was Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar. They were my idols growing up. I used to watch videos of Sachin with my son, but after the 2011 ODI World Cup when MS Dhoni hit the winning six, he became a Dhoni fan and asked me for a pair of gloves,” recalled Dalip.
Mukul Chaudhary
In the 2025-26 Under-23 List A Trophy, Mukul Choudhary emerged as the leading scorer. He scored 617 runs, including two hundreds and four fifties, at a strike rate of 142.49. He smashed 39 sixes, the most in the tournament.His performances caught the attention of Rajasthan Ranji coach Anshu Jain, who picked him as a replacement for the injured Kartik Sharma in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He played five matches and scored 173 runs at a strike rate of 198.85.“In the match against Delhi, we needed 26 runs to win and the boy hit four sixes to seal the game,” recalled Anshu Jain.
The chopper cover drive he hit for a six is just one of the many strokes in his armoury. He hit a pull shot over mid-on for a six in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Mumbai.
Anshu Jain Rajasthan Cricket Team Head Coach
“He is tall, long-armed and very athletic. The helicopter cover drive that he hit for a six is just one of the many strokes in his armoury. He hit a drive over mid-off for a six in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Mumbai. I was stunned by that shot and even the Mumbai players applauded,” said Jain.The 21-year-old dedicated his knock to his father and his idol MS Dhoni.“I would dedicate this performance to my father, who decided even before marriage that his son would play cricket,” Choudhary told reporters after his heroics in Kolkata.
Justin Langer and Mukul Choudhary after the match. (Photo credit: IPL)
“I always liked the way Dhoni finished games. He could hit a six off a yorker too. When you can hit that kind of delivery for a six, the bowler is forced to think differently,” he added.On a night when the Eden Gardens were clamoring for a new hero, it wasn’t just the 27-ball blitz that stood out. It was the weight of years, sacrifice, debt and faith that finally found release. Mukul Choudhary just didn’t finish the match. He kept his promise, redeemed his father’s faith, and turned a story of struggle into a story of arrival.
