Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 14 : Ahead of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), LSG director of cricket Tom Moody spoke on batter Mukul Choudhary, who had played a match-winning knock against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), calling him a "humble and down-to-earth" person who is being well managed by the franchise during his sudden rise to stardom.
The match between KKR and LSG at Eden Gardens witnessed one of the best finishes of this edition. Chasing 182, LSG was down to 128/7 in 16 overs, with Mukul as the last recognised batter with Avesh Khan at the other side. Mukul pulled off a heist, chasing down the target with three wickets in hand, scoring a 27-ball 54*, with two fours and seven stunning sixes at a strike rate of 200.00. This knock put Mukul's name out there in front of the masses, and the IPL's talent factory produced another hitter.
Moody is aware of the attention, expectations and its ill-effects on players' well-being and game, saying that "it is a trap for any young player".
"Mukul has been very well supported within the franchise. He has also got a team that is pretty grounded. It is an environment that he will be managed in and looked after very carefully. We are very aware that it can spiral out of control for any young player who has a one-off innings or a number of innings," he added.
"Things get sensationalised in the media and in the public eye. At the end of the day, he is a very humble and down-to-earth young man. That is certainly shining through with regard to his behaviour post that superb innings. He has been very grounded, very measured and has continued to work exceptionally hard, which are great signs. That tells you a lot about him. We have 100 per cent faith that he is going to stay the course," he added.
Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Josh Hazlewood, Jordan Cox, Nuwan Thushara, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhinandan Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal

Lucknow Super Giants Squad: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, George Linde, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Manimaran Siddharth, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mayank Yadav, Matthew Breetzke, Anrich Nortje, Josh Inglis, Himmat Singh, Mohsin Khan, Arjun Tendulkar, Akash Maharaj Singh, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Arshin Kulkarni, Naman Tiwari.