The IPL has thrown up some breathtaking batting performances over the years, each embodying that fearless approach the format encourages. On Thursday night, under the glare of the Eden Gardens floodlights, 21-year-old Mukul Choudhary joined the club with an unbeaten 27-ball 54, helping Lucknow Super Giants snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Kolkata Knight Riders’s 181-4 was overwhelmed off the final delivery. Mukul’s innings, which included two boundaries and seven sixes, the last a stunning hit over cover with seven needed off two, was remarkable for more reasons than one — not least the calm and collected approach of a ‘novice’.