New Delhi: After being the toast of the IPL ecosystem by hitting an unbeaten 54 to help Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pull off a three-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), wicketkeeper-batter Mukul Choudhary has revealed that his father left his preparation for the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) to ensure that he becomes a cricketer.
At the Eden Gardens, Choudhary struck an unbeaten 54 off 27 balls, laced with seven sixes and two fours, and took LSG to a thrilling win after they had slumped to 128/7 and looked out of contention for a victory. Interestingly, Choudhary had pulled off an improbable chase for Rajasthan in similar fashion against Delhi in the 2025/26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
“It was my father’s dream to play cricket at a big level, we come from a very poor family and he wanted someone from the family to play cricket. Nowadays, there is a lot of money and fame in cricket. Cricket is his favourite sport, but our family condition did not allow him to play cricket professionally.
“He had already made up his mind, even before he was married, that when he has a son, he has to make him play cricket. When I was young, our family situation was not strong and it was not possible for him to get me enrolled in a cricket academy.
“At that time, he also used to teach in a college and was preparing for RAS as well, then he understood that either he can prepare for Rajasthan Administrative Service or he can make me play cricket professionally.
“So, he left his Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) preparation, did some property work, earned some money, and when I turned 12 years old, he enrolled me in the SBS Cricket Academy in Sikar city for the first time,” said Choudhary to JioHotstar.
Choudhary, who now trains at the Aravali Cricket Club in Jaipur, also spoke about the difficulty of finding the right training ground in a state having limited cricketing infrastructure.
“The challenge was that I did not know anything about cricket before I started playing at a professional level. I had no cricket connection in my family. Nobody from our area was a cricket player. I did not know anything about the sport.
“I remember in 2015, It was my birthday that day and my father and I left in the morning to search for an academy. There were three districts nearby – Churu, Jhunjhunu and Sikar. We were looking for an academy in those three districts. At that time, SBS Cricket Academy in Sikar had just opened up.
“We saw it there and decided to take admission in that academy. It was a new academy and the people running the academy were very fond and passionate about cricket. So we found the right place to begin my cricket journey,” he elaborated.
Looking ahead to his future games in IPL 2026, with LSG set to take on Gujarat Titans in Lucknow on Sunday afternoon, Choudhary said he aims to finish more games like how former India captain MS Dhoni would do.
“I always look up to MS Dhoni because I am also a finisher. I always look up to him. His helicopter shot, which is very iconic, is my favourite. The way he led India in the 2011 World Cup, everybody remembers it. I want to be like him and finish off matches and help my team win.”
(IANS)
