The Heist at Eden Gardens: How Mukul Choudhary Broke KKR Hearts in an IPL 2026 Classic

Cricket has a peculiar genius for theatre, and the 2026 IPL is wasting no time proving it. On a warm evening at Eden Gardens one of cricket’s most electric cauldrons Kolkata Knight Riders thought they had the game stitched up. At 127 for 6 with three overs to go, chasing 182, Lucknow Super Giants needed a miracle. What they got instead was Mukul Choudhary, a lower-order hitter with boulders for forearms and absolutely no regard for what the script was supposed to say.

This IPL match analysis unpacks one of the most jaw-dropping finishes of the season a last-ball, one-wicket win that will be replayed on highlight reels for years to come.

Toss, Pitch & Conditions

LSG captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and elected to field first. His reasoning was sound: the Eden Gardens surface was dry and slow, making timing the ball harder than the scorecards suggest. Into-the-wicket lengths were rewarded throughout the night, while anything overpitched was punished. The dew that arrived in the second innings added a further layer of complexity reducing grip for bowlers right when KKR needed their death-over plans to work perfectly.

KKR First Innings: Rahane & Raghuvanshi Rebuild, Powell & Green Finish Strong

Powerplay (Overs 1–6): 56/1

KKR’s innings began shakily. Finn Allen never settled against Mohammed Shami’s swinging new ball and was caught on the third-man fence by Digvesh Rathi off Prince Yadav for just 9. At 16/1, KKR needed steadiness.

They got it through an excellent partnership. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane promoted young Angkrish Raghuvanshi to number three, and the gamble paid off beautifully. Rahane batted with surprising fluency, while Raghuvanshi showed maturity well beyond his years. Navdeep Saini’s second over was loose leaking 18 runs including sixes and KKR powered to 56/1 at the powerplay. Their run-rate of 10.75 in the powerplay was the second-best of the season so far.

Middle Overs (7–15): LSG Tighten the Screws

This is where LSG’s bowling became a genuine force. Digvesh Rathi broke the 84-run Rahane-Raghuvanshi stand in the 10th over KKR’s second-highest partnership against LSG ever with a chance taken brilliantly by Mohammed Shami inches above the turf. Manimaran Siddharth removed Raghuvanshi for 45 the very next over, and Avesh Khan cleaned up Rinku Singh cheaply. At one stage KKR scored only 14 runs and lost 3 wickets across four middle overs. The dry pitch was doing exactly what Pant had hoped.

Death Overs (16–20): Powell & Green Post 181

Rovman Powell and Cameron Green rescued KKR. The pair put on an unbeaten stand of 69 in the final five overs, with Powell paddle-sweeping cleverly around Prince Yadav’s yorker attempts and Green supplying the brute power including a muscular six over long-on off Shami. KKR posted 181/4, a competitive total on this surface.

KKR Batting Highlights

LSG Second Innings: From Chaos to Glory

Powerplay: Promise Then Collapse

LSG’s chase started fluently until Vaibhav Arora brought in as impact substitute removed both Aiden Markram (22) and Mitchell Marsh (15) in the same over with disciplined short-of-length bowling. LSG slipped to 41/2 and were in trouble early. Rishabh Pant came in and batted with intent before Cameron Green’s extra bounce accounted for him for 10 in the ninth over. At 84/3, the chase was at a crossroads.

Badoni Keeps the Flame Alive

Ayush Badoni, also an impact substitute, was the player who kept LSG in contention. Solid, composed, and capable of the big hit, he accumulated beautifully and brought up a fifty off 34 balls including a six off Anukul Roy to reach the milestone. But the very next ball, drawn into a mistimed loft at long-off, he was caught by Rinku Singh for 54. KKR, needing just two wickets from 33 balls, appeared to have the game won.

The Mukul Choudhary Show: Seven Sixes From Nowhere

What followed was something Eden Gardens will not forget quickly.

Mukul Choudhary, walking in at number seven with 55 runs still needed off 24 balls, began with a forehand six over long-off that immediately announced his intentions. Two overs later, the helicopter shot over long-on off Vaibhav Arora against a good, full ball angling into his legs left everyone gasping. It was the kind of shot that requires not just skill but sheer physical audacity.

With 14 needed off the final over, Vaibhav Arora bowling again, Mukul refused to panic. A dot, a single to retain strike. Then the shot of the match: a full, wide delivery outside off that Mukul got across to and lofted over sweeper cover with such force it sailed into the stands. Scores level. One ball left. Avesh Khan on strike. A short ball, a pull, Raghuvanshi’s chance to run out Avesh but the throw went wide, the bye completed, and LSG had pulled off one of the most astonishing run chases in recent IPL memory.

Mukul Choudhary: 54 off 27 balls | 7 sixes | Batting at No.7*

His seven sixes while batting at No.7 or below is the most by any LSG batter in that position, and joint-most by any batter at No.7 or below in a successful IPL run chase equalling DJ Bravo’s record for CSK in 2018. The 54-run unbroken eighth-wicket stand between Mukul and Avesh Khan is the highest for the 8th wicket or lower in a successful IPL run chase.

LSG Batting Highlights

Key Turning Points

1. Vaibhav Arora’s Double-Strike (Over 5): Removing Markram and Marsh in consecutive balls completely shifted momentum back to KKR, leaving LSG’s middle order exposed early.

2. Rahane-Raghuvanshi Stand Broken (Overs 10–11): Rathi and Siddharth removing both set batters in successive overs allowed LSG to concede just 14 runs in four middle overs and retake control.

3. Badoni’s Six-Then-Out (Over 14): The moment the game appeared truly over for LSG. Anukul Roy’s wider delivery drew Badoni into a mistimed loft and Rinku completed the catch at long-off.

4. Mukul’s Forehand Six Off Tyagi (Over 17.1): The shot that signalled LSG’s intent a wrist-heavy blast over long-off from a slower short ball. The game was suddenly alive again.

5. The Sweeper Cover Six to Level Scores (Ball 19.5): The defining moment. Scores tied, one ball left, Mukul launches a wide full ball over sweeper cover with breathtaking power. Eden Gardens falls silent, then erupts.

Bowling Insights: KKR’s Short-Ball Trap Backfired

The numbers tell a damning story for KKR’s pacers. Short balls yielded 4 wickets but cost 82 runs off 42 balls at an economy of 11.71 far too expensive. LSG batters playing the pull shot scored 43 runs off just 24 balls at a strike-rate of 179, with Mukul leading that carnage almost single-handedly. Full and good-length deliveries were significantly more economical throughout the evening.

The one bright spot for KKR was Sunil Narine. His four-over spell of just 13 runs with a wicket on a dry pitch was a masterclass in control turning the ball both ways and keeping LSG’s middle order under sustained pressure. His 200th T20 wicket in India during this spell was a deserving milestone on a night when his teammates let the game slip.

What This Result Means for Both Teams

KKR — Winless and Searching: Still without a win this IPL season, KKR’s top order fires but their death bowling continues to leak crucial runs at the wrong moments. They had this game and surrendered it in the final three overs. With Varun Chakravarthy still recovering from injury, their bowling combination looks incomplete. They urgently need to find more disciplined death-over solutions.

LSG — Belief Building Fast: Back-to-back wins including this stunning heist means LSG are building serious momentum and genuine belief. The impact-substitute system is working brilliantly for them, Badoni and Mukul both delivering as late entries. Pant’s aggressive captaincy, tactical use of the toss, and trust in young players is paying clear dividends.

Final Word

The IPL produces miracles with metronomic regularity, but this one felt special even by those elevated standards. A young batter hitting seven sixes from number seven, including a helicopter shot and a sweeper-cover rocket to level the scores on the penultimate ball all while 66,000 fans in Kolkata watched in stunned silence is exactly the kind of moment that makes cricket the sport it is.

Mukul Choudhary took a bow at Eden Gardens. The entire cricketing world applauded with him.