Turning Point: 6 balls…14 runs, Mukul Chaudhary turned the tables in the last over, which converted defeat into victory.

New Delhi. When the excitement of IPL is at its peak, it looks no less than a Bollywood thriller. The match between Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders on the ground of Eden Gardens was something like this. For Lucknow, which was once on the verge of defeat, Mukul Chaudhary emerged as a hero who bridged the gap between defeat and victory in just 6 balls. Till the 19th over of the match, Kolkata had the upper hand. The tension on the field was so much that Lucknow coach Justin Langer was chewing his gum like crazy, while on the other hand, nervousness was clearly visible on the faces of Andre Russell and Shreyas Iyer in the KKR camp. Lucknow needed 14 runs to win in the last over. At the crease was Mukul Chaudhary, who was playing on 54 runs. Avesh Khan was with him at the other end.

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane gave the last over to fast bowler Vaibhav Arora. Vaibhav bowled the first ball short length. Avesh Khan showed cleverness and took a run by pushing the ball towards mid-wicket. The target was now 13 runs in 5 balls, but the biggest thing was that the strike was now with the in-form Mukul Chaudhary. Vaibhav made a mistake on the second ball and gave a short ball to Mukul in his court. Mukul played the pull shot without any hesitation and the ball went outside the deep backward square leg boundary for six runs. Now the equation had changed. 7 runs were needed in 4 balls. The camp in Lucknow had come to life.

Mukul scored a six on the fifth ball.
After this, Vaibhav Arora returned and bowled dot on the third and fourth balls of the 20th over. This was the time when KKR tried to make a comeback. Vaibhav Arora bowled two excellent yorkers consecutively. Mukul tried to scoop but the ball did not come on the bat. Two consecutive dot balls again gave hope to KKR fans. Now 7 runs were needed on 2 balls. Vaibhav once again tried to yorker the fifth ball, but the ball was a little wide and full. Mukul Chaudhary demonstrated his power and hit him for a flat six over the sweeper cover. This shot not only completed Mukul’s half-century but also leveled the score. Vaibhav Arora sat down on the pitch in frustration.

When silence spread on the field
After this there was silence on the field. There were rumblings of a super over. Vaibhav bowled a short of length ball, Mukul missed, but Avesh Khan ran at lightning speed from the non-striker’s end. Angkrish Raghuvanshi had a chance to hit a direct hit, but he missed. The wicketkeeper threw the throw but it also remained away from the stumps. Avesh Khan reached the crease safely without diving. One run bye and Lucknow executed the ‘heist of the heists’.

Mukul Choudhary led LSG to a thrilling win.

mukul chaudhary a new star
As soon as the match was over, Avesh Khan celebrated the victory by taking off his helmet. Mukul Choudhary folded his hands and looked towards the sky. This victory was not just about runs, but about nerves. Mukul Chaudhary, who perhaps was not the center of discussion at the beginning of the match, had become the ‘man of the moment’ by the end of the game. KKR legends Andre Russell and Rishabh Pant both had their eyes towards the sky, but one had relief and the other had regrets. This over will always be remembered as a ‘turning point’ in the history of IPL, where a young batsman wrote history instead of succumbing to the experienced bowling attack. Mukul Chaudhary’s inning of 54 runs in 27 balls proved that in cricket, anything is possible until the last ball is bowled.

LSG beat KKR by 3 wickets
On the basis of Mukul Chaudhary’s fearless unbeaten half-century innings, Lucknow Super Giants defeated KKR by three wickets in a thrilling match that lasted till the last ball. LSG lost its seventh wicket in the form of Mohammed Shami for 128 runs on the last ball of the 16th over. The team needed 54 runs in the last four overs, and Choudhary along with Avesh Khan (one not out) led the team to victory. Ayush Badoni also played a brilliant inning of 54 runs for LSG. Chaudhary scored only two runs in the first eight balls of his innings, but later scored unbeaten 54 runs by hitting seven sixes. Among these, the helicopter shot played by Vaibhav Arora in the style of Mahendra Singh Dhoni was worth seeing.