Who is Mukul Choudhary? Rising wicketkeeper-batter makes IPL 2026 debut for LSG

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are up against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the fifth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on April 1 in Lucknow. The DC skipper Axar Patel went on to win the toss and invited the home team to bat first. The pitch looks quite good, and a score of 180-190 is expected in the first innings. 

The IPL has seen many debutants till now and will see more in the upcoming games as well, including LSG's Mukul Choudhary, a player from Rajasthan. He is all set to play his debut match for the franchise in the presence of big names. 

Mukul Choudhary’s background, domestic career and rise to IPL

The 21-year-old cricketer, Mukul Choudhary, was picked up by LSG at the IPL auction in December 2025 for INR 2.50 crores. He is one of the best players in the domestic set-up and represents Rajasthan. Mukul slammed 173 runs in five innings at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 at a strike rate of 198.85. He has also played in the U-23 tournament as well. 

The franchise has shown trust in him as he is an aggressive middle-order finisher capable of accelerating the run rate in the death overs. Playing alongside players like Rishabh Pant, Ayush Badoni, Aiden Markram, and others will be of huge help for the young batter. He will get to learn from them, understand how the tournament works, and incorporate the learnings in his games. 

What Mukul Choudhary brings to LSG ahead of DC clash

LSG do have a strong batting line-up, but Mukul's presence adds depth in the department. Moreover, he will get to play against the star players, which will surely give him confidence to perform well. He is an outstanding batter, and the game against DC is an opportunity for him to showcase to the world what he is capable of. 

He will play in the middle order for the franchise, which means that if the top order batters get out early, he can bat and provide those extra runs along with Ayush Badoni, who is another star batter. Both of them play attacking cricket, which is required in the tournament and for the franchise. 

Mukul Choudhary's performance against KKR

The debutant of IPL 2026, Mukul Choudhary, ripped apart KKR's bowling line-up on April 9 in the 15th match of the league. He slammed his maiden half-century and helped LSG win the match by three wickets. The batter scored 54 off 27 balls, including two boundaries and seven sixes. The last six came in the last over, where the match turned in his team's favour. 

LSG's batting depth is what helped them win this game today. This knock will be a memorable one for Mukul as well as the franchise. He became the hero of the match and with this innings, a lot of eyes will be on him in the upcoming games. LSG chased down 181 runs in the last-ball thriller in the IPL 2026.