New Delhi: Former South Africa captain Fife du PlessisThe player who played for Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Royal Challengers Bangalore) praised young Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) wicket-keeper batsman Mukul Choudhary for his match-winning performance against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday. Chaudhry scored an unbeaten 54 off just 27 balls at the Eden Gardens, hitting 7 sixes and 2 fours to lead LSG to a thrilling victory off the last ball. Speaking on JioStar, Du Plessis admired not only his power but also his composure under pressure, saying: “It’s incredible to see the awareness of the game. The strength of the young man, the unbelievable batting.”
He also compared Chaudhry’s style to MS Dhoni, especially his flick, and added, “What a great game of cricket, with a lot of ups and downs and stealing the ball at the end. Some of the shots reminded me of watching MS Dhoni back in the day, especially those flick shots, which were very powerful. “
The turning point of LSG
Du Plessis stressed that such a close victory can define a team’s season. He explained that moments like this can change momentum, especially when a young and relatively inexperienced player steps up and finishes. “You have some moments in the season that almost define it… If this had gone our way, the season would have looked a lot different,” he added. He added that LSG won a game they could have easily lost, which should boost their confidence moving forward.
Tough phase for KKR
KKR, on the other hand, seems to be having bad luck this season. With three losses and one game eliminated, things weren’t going the way they had hoped. Du Plessis pointed to small mistakes, such as missing easy runs at crucial moments, that cost them the game. “Those 50-50 moments don’t go in their favor,” he said, stressing that the team needs to stay sharp in key situations if they want to win tight games.
