Mukul Choudhary stuns KKR to seal last-ball win for LSG
Mukul Choudhary bashed a 25-ball half-century, having come in at 104 for 5 in the 13th over, to help LSG chase down 182
Mukul Choudhary bashed a 25-ball half-century, having come in at 104 for 5 in the 13th over, to help LSG chase down 182
Scorer: Sudeep Poojar | Commentator: Shashwat Kumar
11:46pm And...breathe. A bona-fide IPL classic, headlined by a youngster the IPL is designed to throw up into the imagination. LSG go back-to-back with their wins; KKR remain without one, and this tournament is now shaping up rather nicely. We hope you enjoyed our coverage. More post-match stuff will come your way, so stay tuned to ESPNcricinfo. Until next time, from all of us here, it is goodbye!
Mukul Choudhary, Player of the Match: (On his journey) Even before my dad got married, it was his dream that his son would play cricket. Financial condition was not very good at the start. Began playing at 12-13 years. There were not a lot of academies (in Jhunjhunu) and then I moved to Jaipur. I saw how much T20 cricket is growing, so I moved to Gurgaon and stayed there for 3-4 months. (On when he or his father knew he would make it) My dad tells me there was an U-19 match against UP. It was a low-scoring match but I scored runs and that is when he knew I would make it big. Second match (under lights). Pressure is always there. But God has given us this opportunity, and I try to do what I can do. I see it as an opportunity, rather than taking pressure. My plan was to play till the end, and I believe in myself that much that I knew if I batted till the end, I could make the team win. (On his favourite six) The first six. I had not hit a six before today, so that was special. (On what he was feeling when 7 were needed off 2) I knew one ball would be in my area and I knew I needed to hit just one six. (On his preparation and confidence about power-hitting) I have always been hitting, since I have been young. If it is in my area, I smash it.
Rishabh Pant, LSG captain: (On Mukul) I do not have words to describe but what a fantastic effort. One thing I made sure is that personally, that trust and when you believe in someone, a player can do wonders. The character, with each and every match like this, it shows something is building. We don't want to talk much about it but something is cooking inside. (On Badoni) He is now a senior pro in our team. That is the role we have given him. In a situation like him, when we talk about Badoni, these are the kind (of contributions) you want to see from Badoni. (On Shami) He is not getting any young. But the experience he brings to the side is invaluable. Having someone like him is amazing. Whole bowling unit is doing an amazing job.
Ajinkya Rahane, KKR captain: Tough one to take. Really proud of the boys, the way we played. Mukul's knock was defining. The way he played his shotsâŠin games like this, you do not want to pinpoint too many things. Execution here and there can happen, but credit to Mukul and that partnership. Those (slower balls into the pitch) deliveries did work. They (LSG) had nothing to lose. It was about swinging (every ball). There were brilliant shots. The way he (Mukul) batted was amazing. Thought our bowlers did their job. When you lose a game, you think about how you could have done better. 180-185 was a very good total on this wicket. In the end, I thought, let's give credit to the (LSG) batters and the way they batted. (On bringing the field up for the first ball of the 20th) We wanted to keep him on strike, but we had to keep five inside. It is tough for the bowlers (bowling the last over with five up).
Here is Sampath with a stat: Only batter before Mukul Choudhary to score 50+ runs in death overs (52 off 21) in a successful IPL chase was Kieron Pollard against SRH in 2013. Pollard scored 57 off 17 balls (from being 9 off 10 to 64 off 27) at the death when MI needed 62 off 24.
11:22pm Incredible. Just incredible. It is one of the most overused words. In sport. In the IPL. In almost all walks of life. But you can search through and through, and you might not find a better word to describe all that transpired at the Eden Gardens. KKR had it. They had it right in the centre of their palms. But then, came the Mukul Choudhary storm. With wrists of steel, with fire in his belly and ultimately, with ice in his veins. And this will now be an evening that he will remember and rejoice forever.
KKR, of course, will be at the other end of that emotional spectrum. They utilized the conditions well and made LSG toil for every run. But just when it mattered, they were trumped by someone who handled the big moments better. A few more runs may have been handy but tonight is not about what KKR did not do right. Rather, it is about what Mukul did right, and what he kept doing right, even when put into a cauldron of pressure.
Santosh : "Lesson: "Never Turn off the TV when Avesh Khan is batting" "
1 off 1. Surely not a Super Over? Everyone up, apart from deep third and deep mid wicket
7 off 2
7 off 3
How are the nerves now? For KKR? For Mukul? For both sets of fans? A proper humdinger this. Rahane and Arora now having a conference. 7 off 4. And KKR taking an age to set this field. Around the wicket. Long on, Long off and deep cover out, along with a very square deep third
Right. Mukul back on strike. 13 off 5. Where is this game headed?
Right. Another final-over thriller, folks. 14 off 6. Avesh on strike. Arora to bowl. And KKR have incurred an over-rate penalty too - what drama. Just four allowed outside the ring
Inspired to emulate MS Dhoni, Mukul Choudhary produced a stunning display of nerveless finishing to secure a remarkable win for LSG
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Dale Steyn and Aaron Finch criticise Green's performance with bat and the decision to give him the ball for the 19th over of the chase
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