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Arjun Tendulkar at LSG practice session. Image: Debasis Sen As the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) players celebrated an almost improbable win, there was one player who silently played his part from the dugout – Arjun Tendulkar. Arjun hasn’t yet had an opportunity to play this season, and chances are that opportunity isn’t coming anytime soon with Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan and Mohammed Shami all fit. And yet he is there, with his team, doing his job. Much like any other player who continues to wait for his opportunity, Arjun too is there on the bench. In a country that thrives on conspiracy theories, Arjun is a grim reminder that it is not always easy to deal with the weight of a surname. He is a Tendulkar, and for him to come to terms with expectations could not have been easy. No one asked him to play cricket. He did. I ca n vouch that there was never any pressure from Sachin and Anjali, and all they did was encourage the young man to pursue his dream. It wa...

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel against RCB ( PC- IPL, official instagram handle) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (26-ball 78) and Dhruv Jurel were the cornerstones of Rajasthan Royals’ comfortable six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 game played in Guwahati. RR chased down the target of 202 in the 18th over. RR have won all their four games so far, while RCB suffered their first defeat of the season. Vaibhav dazzles again The left-hand batter once again lit up the Guwahati Stadium with an explosion of fireworks. His knock included as many as seven sixes and eight boundaries. He reached his fifty off only 15 deliveries. Not even Josh Hazlewood was spared as the RCB spearhead was smashed for three fours and a six in a single over. Jurel acts as the perfect foil The wicket-keeper-bat also played his part with a blazing hand of 43-ball 81. The keynote of Jurel’s batting was once Vaibhav lost his wicket, Jurel played with a calm head on his shoulders to take his...

Choudhary smashed his maiden IPL fifty in KOlkata. (;C: BCCI) Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant was elated to see Mukul Choudhary replicate his form in the match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday, helping his team pull off a win from the jaws of defeat in Kolkata. Choudhary slammed a whirlwind 54 off just 27 balls to complete the chase of 182 on a tricky batting surface. His innings was laced with seven sixes and two fours. The tall right-handed batter batted with the tail but still managed to guide his team to victory. Having seen him from close quarters, Pant was delighted to see the young batter execute his plans and finish the game for LSG. “When we see him (Mukul) in the nets, you can tell what he’s capable of. But when you do it in a match, it just feels amazing,” Pant said after the match. “I don’t have words to describe it. I’m just overwhelmed by the match—what a fantastic effort.” Before Choudhary, it was Ayush Badoni who kept his team in...

  Mukul Choudhary. (left) (Image :X)Team KKR (right).Image: Debasis Sen I don’t know how many of my readers have read Sonar Kella or watched it. For those who have, they will understand: Mukul, Dushtu Lok , vanish. It was one of the best matches of the IPL, and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fans were left stunned by the heroics of Mukul Choudhary at the end. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, and KKR will need to do all they can to stem this downward plunge. Just pause and think about the temperament this young man possesses. Seven down when Mohammed Shami got out, with 50-plus runs still to get. Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi and Prince Yadav can hardly bat, so it was all down to him and no one else. KKR had the game and had it well under control. Mukul, however, had worked the equation out in his head. He would play all the balls and connect with three out of six every over – and the ones he connected would land in the stands.  First, it was...

Mukul Choudhary. Image :X The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) match in the ongoing IPL 2026 on April 9 saw an absolute masterclass from 21-year-old Mukul Choudhary, who powered LSG to a memorable win. While defending 181 runs, KKR had the upper hand for a major part of the game, bowling with discipline and control in the powerplay and middle overs. However, Mukul, the finisher, completely flipped the script in LSG’s favour. He remained not out on 54 off 27, striking at 200, including two fours and seven sixes. Speaking at the post-match presentation after being declared Player of the Match, he said that his plan “was to play till the end.” “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,” he said. On his favourite six, ...

  Mukul Choudhary. Image: IPL/BCCI Subhayan Chakraborty, Kolkata Lucknow Super Giants defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by three wickets at Eden Gardens, courtesy of a wonder knock from Mukul Choudhary. He smashed seven sixes to take LSG over the line, securing their second consecutive win in IPL 2026. Meanwhile, KKR’s search for a victory continues. Mukul Choudhary: A New Star is Born Rajasthan’s Mukul Choudhary played a thunderous, stellar knock of 54 off 27 balls to guide the Lucknow Super Giants over the finish line. Backed by Justin Langer, Mukul showcased his immense potential by hammering seven sixes in what will be remembered as one of the knocks of the tournament. A new star has definitely been born in LSG colors. “If he’s willing… in the next four months, I’m going to turn him into the scariest No. 6 or No. 7 batter in India,” head coach Justin Langer had said while speaking to captain Rishabh Pant about the uncapped Mukul during a pre-season camp. A product of the ...