It was a ‘remember the name’ moment for Mukul Choudhary as he single-handedly led the Lucknow Super Giants to an improbable win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the ‘Garden of Eden’ on Thursday. KKR seemed in control, with the game in their hands. But then Mukul Choudhary turned it around. He stayed calm under pressure and delivered when it mattered most. It became a night he will remember for a long time.Mukul Choudhary scored 54 runs from 27 balls, with two fours and seven sixes as Lucknow Super Giants defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by three wickets.Chasing 182, LSG rode on Ayush Badoni’s 34-ball 54 and Mukul Choudhary’s brilliant 27-ball 54 not out to cross the line in a last ball thriller.Who is Mukul Choudhary?Mukul Choudhary, 21, is a wicketkeeper-batter who plays for Rajasthan in domestic cricket. He performed well at the Under-23 level and then scored 173 runs in five innings in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 at a strike rate of 198.85. After that, he was picked by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 2.60 crore at the IPL 2026 auction. The 21-year-old made his first-class debut in January 2023 in the Ranji Trophy, while his List A debut came in December 2025. He is known for scoring runs in the death overs and has a T20 strike rate above 160. Mukul’s path to professional cricket began with his father, Dalip Kumar Choudhary. From Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, Dalip followed cricket closely and wanted his son to play the sport even before Mukul was born. The family faced financial issues and there were limited sports facilities in the area, but his father remained focused on helping him pursue cricket. Dalip first worked as a teacher and later moved into real estate and the hotel business, which helped him support his son’s training. He enrolled Mukul at the SBS Cricket Academy in Sikar so that he could get proper coaching and practice. Mukul did not start as a wicketkeeper. When he joined the academy, he was a medium-fast bowler and aimed to build a career in that role. During one match, the team needed a wicketkeeper, and he stepped in. Mukul, who looks up to MS Dhoni, adapted to the role and continued as a wicketkeeper after that. As he progressed, he was noticed by junior selectors and later moved to Jaipur to train at the Aravali Cricket Academy. His mother and younger sister also moved with him so that he could stay focused on cricket. His mother looked after his daily routine, allowing him to concentrate on his game. He made his T20 debut in 2023, and his performances soon drew attention from IPL scouts. At the IPL 2026 auction, he was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 2.6 crore after a bidding contest.

R Vaishali continued her impressive run in the women’s Candidates, moving into sole lead after holding Anna Muzychuk to a composed draw in Round 10, even as Javokhir Sindarov tightened his grip on the open section with a commanding win over R Praggnanandhaa on Thursday.

Vaishali, who has shown remarkable consistency throughout the tournament, took her tally to six points to edge ahead of the field in the women’s standings. Facing Muzychuk, one of the most experienced players in the lineup, the Indian was solid throughout and never allowed the game to drift out of control. She equalised comfortably and ensured there were no late complications, continuing a run that had steadily gathered momentum at a crucial stage of the event.

Muzychuk now shares second place with China’s Zhu Jiner, both on 5.5 points, keeping the title race finely balanced heading into the final four rounds. The chasing pack is not far behind either. Bibisara Assaubayeva registered a key win over Zhu to move to five points, joining Kateryna Lagno and Aleksandra Goryachkina in a tightly packed group that remains very much in contention.

It was, however, a mixed day for the Indian contingent in the women’s section, as Divya Deshmukh lost her chances in the endgame against Goryachkina and went down after a hard-fought battle.

In the open section, Sindarov’s march towards the title gathered further pace as he outplayed Praggnanandhaa to reach eight points, opening up a significant two-point lead at the top. The Uzbek has been the standout performer of the tournament and once again demonstrated his depth of preparation and control under pressure.

The game against Praggnanandhaa turned sharp early, with Sindarov opting for an aggressive approach that involved a piece sacrifice to complicate matters. The Indian held his own for a while in the ensuing tactical battle, but a critical error proved decisive. Praggnanandhaa lost his queen in exchange for two rooks and some pawns, an imbalance that tilted the position firmly in Sindarov’s favour. From there, the Uzbek showed excellent technique to convert the advantage without giving his opponent any real chances to recover.

The victory was Sindarov’s sixth of the tournament and his second over Praggnanandhaa, underlining his dominance in this event. With four rounds remaining, he now sits comfortably ahead of the field and firmly in control of the title race.

Anish Giri, on six points, is the only player still within touching distance, while the rest of the contenders appear to have fallen behind. Fabiano Caruana was held to a draw by Wei Yi, Hikaru Nakamura split the point with Giri, and Andrey Esipenko also drew his game against Matthias Bluebaum, results that ensured the standings at the top remained unchanged apart from Sindarov extending his lead.

For Praggnanandhaa, the defeat marked his third loss of the tournament and effectively ended his hopes of a late resurgence. Stuck on four points, the Indian is now out of contention with only a handful of rounds left.

Results Round 10: Javokhir Sindarov (Uzb, 8) beat R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 4); Andrey Esipenko (Rus, 3.5) drew with Matthias Bluebaum Ger (4.5); Wei Yi (Chn, 4.5) drew with Fabiano Caruana (Usa, 5; Hikaru Nakamura (Usa, 4.5) drew with Anish Giri (Ned, 6).

Women: Anna Muzychuk (Ukr, 5.5) drew with R Vaishali (Ind, 6); Bibisaraa Assaubayeva (Kaz, 5) beat Jiner Zhu (Chn, 5.5); Kateryna Lagno (Rus, 5) drew wirh Zhongyi Tan (Chn, 3.5) Divya Deshmukh (Ind, 4.5) lost to Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus, 5).

– Ends