Mukesh Kumar will be hoping that this dream IPL campaign can pave the way for his return to the Indian team. His control, clever variations, and mental resilience have made him one of Delhi's go-to bowlers this season.
Mukesh Kumar sizzled with a four-wicket haul as his career-best figures helped Delhi Capitals hand Lucknow Super Giants a four-wicket thrashing in Lucknow on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Bengal pacer stood out with magnificent figures of 4/33 as Delhi Capitals bounced back after a sluggish start to restrict LSG to a modest 159/6.
LSG looked on course for a huge total as they raced to 87 in the 10th over, but the momentum shifted dramatically after Aiden Markram's dismissal by Dushmantha Chameera turned the tide in Delhi's favour.
Mitchell Starc dismissed the dangerous Nicholas Pooran for the fifth time in as many consecutive innings across T20s, triggering a collapse in the middle overs. Pooran has now fallen to Starc five times in just 14 balls across seven innings overall in T20 cricket.
Mukesh, introduced late in the 14th innings, made an immediate impact. He had the struggling Abdul Samad caught and bowled for two before he produced a sensational yorker to clean up Mitchell Marsh for 45.
From a position of strength at 87 for no loss at one stage, LSG slipped to 110/4 -- losing four wickets for 23 runs in the space of 25 balls.
Ayush Badoni briefly lifted LSG with a brisk cameo , smashing 36 off 21 balls as he hit Mukesh for three fours in a row in the final over. But the DC pacer had the last laugh as Badoni was bowled trying to play the scoop.
DC captain Rishabh Pant perished for a duck in a similar fashion, trying an audacious reverse scoop and losing his stumps.
Mukesh finished with 4/33 from his four overs, including 11 dot balls, notching up his maiden four-wicket haul in the IPL.
Bought for Rs 8 crore by Delhi Capitals using the Right to Match option at the auction, Mukesh was retained after an impressive IPL 2024, where he bagged 17 wickets in 10 innings.
His IPL journey began on a quiet note, managing just seven wickets from 10 matches in his debut season in 2023. But a strong turnaround in the following year sparked a bidding war, forcing DC to use their RTM card.
Now in his third season of the league, Mukesh achieved a unique distinction, making his India debut before playing in the IPL.
He etched his name in the record books when he made his international debut in all three formats on the same tour in the West Indies in 2023 to become the second Indian to achieve the feat after T Natarajan.
In IPL 2025, Mukesh has shown impressive consistency, taking at least one wicket in six of the eight matches so far. However, his economy rate of 9.34, is one area where he needs to improve.
Having the experienced Starc as a bowling partner has been a blessing. Mukesh appears to be learning quickly from the Australian veteran, especially when it comes to executing pinpoint yorkers at the death.
His is a story of grit. Coming from a humble background, Mukesh moved to Kolkata from Bihar in 2014 to chase his cricket dreams. The move paid off as he earned his Bengal debut the following season after being picked through fast-bowling trials by the Cricket Association of Bengal.
But the journey was not so smooth.
Diagnosed with bone edema and anaemia, Mukesh had to spend months in recovery. Thanks to CAB's support, he returned to make his first-class debut in the 2015-16 season against Haryana at Lahli, where he grabbed five wickets in the match, including the prized wicket of Virender Sehwag.
Consistent performances for Bengal in the domestic circuit including 32 wickets in the 2019-20 season brought him to the attention of the selectors as he was picked for the India A teams.
Mukesh struggled to find takers in the IPL auction before his T20I debut in the West Indies brought about a change of fortune, as Delhi Capitals paid a whopping Rs 5.50 crore to buy him at the auction.
This season he already looks the part with nine wickets from eight games -- the third most for DC after Kuldeep Yadav (12) and Mitchell Starc (11).
Mukesh will be hoping that this dream IPL campaign can pave the way for his return to the Indian team. His control, clever variations, and mental resilience have made him one of Delhi's go-to bowlers this season.
As the IPL heads into its decisive phase, Mukesh's resurgence could not have come at a better time. With India having a busy international calendar in the upcoming season, consistent performances like this could catapult the Bengal pacer back into the reckoning.
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