Mukul Choudhary, IPL's New Gem, Helicopter's His Way Into the Spotlight

The Chase

In a period where 200 is barely par, 220 is good, and 240 is great, KKR had LSG on the ropes. They made 180 look very big with their bowling, finally falling in place. Wickets at regular intervals, but Ayush Badoni kept things open with his own smooth innings. The required rate was nowhere out of range with 55 off 30, but with bowlers to come and Narine left with an over, the game was slipping away.

Narine was seen off, though, and it started. 50 off 21 and Mukul Choudhary makes heads turn with an MS Dhoni-like helicopter. It was take-off time as Mukul Choudhary displayed powerful wristwork to get Vaibhav Arora over the fence. The mood changed, and the game was on yet again. He backed himself, leaving Avesh Khan at the non-strikers' end and rejecting singles on offer.

 The 18th over, Kartik Tyagi, a wonderboy in the death on his own, and the pressure was on. Mukul Choudhary only needed to score off three balls, and two of those cleared the fence to keep them in the hunt yet again. Powerful wrist work and brute force as he launched the ball into the orbit yet again.

The Mukul Choudhary Magic

Kartik Tyagi was negotiated, but could Choudhary do the same against a foreign young star in Cameron Green? Trusted with the 19th over after not bowling in months, Cameron Green backed his strength in the steep bounce that he can extract. It was three scoring shots again, though, which is all Mukul Needed. Two big sixes and a boundary, the helicopter came out again, and suddenly the pressure was all on Vaibhav Arora.

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The new wonderkid in the IPL added to the pressure with a six off the second ball to reduce the equation to 7 off 4. He was in the groove, but Arora was not done. Two beautiful wide yorkers kept him in the hunt, and Mukul was left swinging for air. 7 off 2, second thriller in two nights. David Miller, a seasoned pro, could not finish. What about the youngster in Mukul Choudhary? 

Vaibhav Arora went wide again, and this time, the third time in three balls, Mukul was ready, and he cleared deep point with a flat and powerful six. One off one, and the game was in his pocket. Calmness personified as he marshalled the lower order when the game looked out of reach. 1 to get, a bye was snuck, and it was Avesh Khan again, given a moment to celebrate with the bat, or more with his running when it mattered the most. 

It was all Mukul Choudhary in Kolkata. 52 runs scored in the death. Only one player in Kieron Pollard, has done that before and come out successful in a run chase. 54 runs chased with 3 wickets left was also a record for the most runs chased after 7 wickets fell after CSK's 61 back in 2018. It was a night when Mukul Choudhary made a record. Moreover, though, it was a night where Mukul Choudhary announced himself in the IPL with a helicopter of his own and made the tournament take note that a kid is waiting to deny sides in the death.