Virat Kohli’s IPL momentum took a dramatic hit on Thursday night at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, when Lucknow Super Giants quick Prince Yadav struck him twice with precision to dismiss him for a two-ball duck. The setback left the RCB icon visibly shell-shocked as the young pacer followed through on a delivery that clipped Kohli’s off-stump, sparking celebrations in the home end. It was Kohli’s first scoreless outing in the league in 1,110 days and only his 11th duck in IPL cricket—yet another rare moment in a career built on big totals and consistent run-making.
Key takeaways
- Prince Yadav dismissed Kohli for a two-ball duck at Ekana Stadium, handing him a scoreless start for the first time in the IPL in 1,110 days.
- The key ball travelled at 140.4 kmph and jagged back through Kohli’s defence before hitting the off-stump.
- Kohli has recorded just 11 ducks in 269 IPL innings, meaning he’s been dismissed for nought only 4.09% of the time.
- Six of Kohli’s 11 ducks came in two seasons—2014 and 2022—when he registered three scoreless dismissals in each.
- This was Kohli’s sixth duck while batting second, and his first duck in a chase since April 2017.
The “ball of the tournament” moment in Lucknow
The delivery that ended Kohli’s stay quickly became the defining talking point of IPL 2026. Prince Yadav sent down a sharp 140.4 kmph ball that angled back sharply off the deck, squeezing into the corridor of uncertainty and beating Kohli’s defence. Kohli froze as the stumps were disturbed, and the dismissal triggered an instant reaction from the bowler as well as the Lucknow crowd.
For a batter who has been a cornerstone of IPL batting for nearly two decades and has amassed over 9,000 runs in the competition, getting dismissed for a duck remains a distinctly uncommon occurrence. Even so, Kohli’s rare scoreless outings continue to stand out because of how infrequent they are at this stage of his career.
Kohli’s previous IPL ducks and the rarity factor
The last time Kohli was dismissed for nought came in April 2023. On that occasion, Rajasthan Royals pacer Trent Boult trapped him lbw off the very first delivery of the innings.
Since his IPL debut in 2008, Kohli has played 277 matches and scored 9,040 runs, including eight centuries and 66 half-centuries. His career IPL averages read as 39.82, with a strike rate of 133.92. In total, across 269 IPL innings, he has been dismissed for a duck only 11 times, which underlines just how rare these moments have been.
What makes the record even more striking is the way those ducks are clustered. Six of Kohli’s 11 scoreless dismissals arrived in just two challenging seasons—2014 and 2022—where he was dismissed for nought three times in each year. That leaves only five ducks spread across the remaining 17 IPL seasons.
Those isolated dismissals came against Mumbai Indians in 2008, Gujarat Lions in 2016, Kolkata Knight Riders in 2017, Rajasthan Royals in 2023, and now Lucknow Super Giants in 2026.
Virat Kohli’s IPL ducks (details)
- 16 balls, caught, innings 1 — vs Mumbai Indians, Bengaluru — 28 May 2008
- 23 balls, caught, innings 2 — vs Mumbai Indians, Dubai (DICS) — 19 Apr 2014
- 19 balls, caught, innings 2 — vs SRH, Bengaluru — 4 May 2014
- 9 balls, caught, innings 2 — vs Kings XI Punjab, Bengaluru — 9 May 2014
- 22 balls, bowled, innings 2 — vs Gujarat Lions, Bengaluru — 24 May 2016
- 12 balls, caught, innings 2 — vs KKR, Eden Gardens — 23 Apr 2017
- 7 balls, caught, innings 1 — vs LSG, DY Patil, 19 Apr 2022
- 23 balls, caught, innings 1 — vs SRH, Brabourne, 23 Apr 2022
- 11 balls, caught, innings 1 — vs SRH, Wankhede, 8 May 2022
- 23 balls, lbw, innings 1 — vs RR, Bengaluru, 23 Apr 2023
- 7 balls, bowled, innings 2 — vs LSG, Lucknow, 7 May 2026
How multiple ducks shaped two difficult IPL seasons
Kohli’s seasons featuring more than one duck also matched noticeable dips in his broader output. In 2014, he recorded ducks against Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab. Despite still being a central figure, he ended the season with only 359 runs in 14 innings, averaging 27.61 at a strike rate of 122.10, with just two fifties to show for his efforts.
Then came 2022, another difficult chapter in his IPL journey. That year, Kohli again endured three ducks—one against LSG and two against SRH. His struggles were reflected strongly in his end-of-season numbers, as he managed 341 runs in 16 innings, with an average of 22.73 and a strike rate of 115.98. Statistically, it remains among the poorest IPL seasons of his career.
Kohli’s latest duck: chasing context and the long gap
Alongside the rarity of the wicket itself, Kohli’s most recent duck carried another unusual angle. Widely seen as one of cricket’s greatest chasers, the RCB batter has now recorded only his sixth IPL duck while batting second. The count looks slightly inflated because all three of his 2014-season ducks occurred during run chases.
Even after accounting for that odd stretch, Kohli has generally been reliable when chasing. Even more notably, this was his first duck in a chase since April 2017, bringing an end to a gap of more than nine years without a scoreless innings while pursuing targets.
Despite the setback in Lucknow, Kohli’s IPL 2026 campaign is still moving in the right direction. He has already scored 379 runs in 10 matches and appears well placed to mount another 600-plus run season, particularly after crossing that milestone in each of the previous three editions.
Virat Kohli’s IPL ducks while chasing (details)
- 23 balls, caught, innings 1 — vs Mumbai Indians, Dubai (DICS) — 19 Apr 2014
- 53 balls, caught, innings 2 — vs SRH, Bengaluru — 4 May 2014
- 13 balls, caught, innings 2 — vs Kings XI Punjab, Bengaluru — 9 May 2014
- 22 balls, bowled, innings 2 — vs Gujarat Lions, Bengaluru — 24 May 2016
- 22 balls, bowled, innings 2 — vs KKR, Eden Gardens — 23 Apr 2017
- 7 balls, bowled, innings 2 — vs LSG, Lucknow — 7 May 2026
