MS Dhoni must have been proud after seeing how Mukul Choudhary finished off the game for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. Mukul, 21, has always been a Dhoni fan and idolised his game; it was no surprise to see the youngster taking a leaf out of Dhoni's book and absolutely nailing the helicopter shot. Just like Dhoni, Choudhary also took the game deep, ensuring that his team got over the line.
The unbeaten 54-run knock off 27 balls by Choudhary is one of the finest this season, and it's no surprise that the youngster from Rajasthan has become the toast of the town. The biggest highlight of his unbeaten knock was his maturity and impeccable game awareness, which helped LSG power over the line. He almost single-handedly took Lucknow to a win, as Avesh Khan proved to be a bystander at the other end.
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Choudhary brought the helicopter shot out on the fourth delivery of the 17th over, depositing Vaibhav Arora's delivery way back into the stands. As soon as a maximum was signalled by the on-field umpire, South Africa batter Faf du Plessis was not able to keep calm inside the commentary box.
The former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter said Dhoni to “eat his heart out” as the helicopter shot is well and truly back.
{{/usCountry}}The former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter said Dhoni to “eat his heart out” as the helicopter shot is well and truly back.
{{/usCountry}}“MS Dhoni, eat your heart out. The helicopter shot is back,” said Faf on air.
Choudhary displayed a wide array of shots in his 54-run knock, slamming 2 fours and 7 sixes. Out of his 54 runs, 50 came in boundaries, a testament to the batter's strength and a one-man show.
What Choudhary said?
After winning the Player of the Match accolade, Choudhary revealed that the game against KKR was just his second game playing under lights. “This is just my 2nd match under lights,” said Choudhary at the post-match presentation.
"There is pressure, sir. But I think that God has given me this opportunity, so I just believe in my ability. This is a chance to become something big or make a name for yourself. So I focus on the opportunity, not the pressure," he added.
Before the beginning of the IPL 2026 season, Choudhary had revealed that he looks up to MS Dhoni and wants to finish off games just like the former India captain.
Choudhary's knock was all the more remarkable considering how he was batting at 2 off 8 balls, but it was then that he changed gears, hitting 52 runs of his next 19 balls.