Virat Kohli didn’t just fail to score during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2026 clash with Lucknow Super Giants on Thursday—he was dismissed for a duck, and the manner of his exit made the moment even more striking. Kohli was clean-bowled, leaving no room for debate about the quality of the delivery. The bowler responsible was Lucknow’s 24-year-old pacer Prince Yadav, who produced a decisive spell that kept Kohli and the RCB batting unit under pressure throughout the game.
Prince’s impact didn’t stop at one breakthrough. He finished with three wickets in the match, taking his tally for the season to 16. His rise has been one of the standout storylines of the tournament, especially given how quickly he has turned pressure situations into wicket-taking opportunities.
After the match, former India batter Ambati Rayudu suggested that Prince’s performances are unlikely to go unnoticed for long at the international level. Rayudu believes a call-up is only a matter of time and pointed to the special quality he has shown with the ball. “I think he’s going to make his debut soon for India. That guy is a special talent,” Rayudu said, speaking on ESPNcricinfo.
Rayudu then broke down what makes Prince’s bowling effective, highlighting not only the end result but also the approach. He noted how Prince’s competitiveness is visible even in the way he builds his run-up, and how that intensity carries into his deliveries. “We have seen it throughout the IPL, and also the way he runs in his run-up itself tells that he’s in there with a fight. He bowls a heavy ball, and most of his deliveries are hitting the stumps if you look at it. That’s a speciality,” Rayudu explained.
Rayudu also singled out the specific ball that dismissed Kohli, describing it as the kind of delivery that is difficult to handle even for elite batters. “The ball was very, very special. That’s a beautiful ball to bowl, with it swinging right in front of the bat. I don’t think any batsman in the world can play them,” he said, underlining how Prince combined movement with the right line to get the wicket.
While Prince is currently flying, Rayudu’s praise comes in contrast to his earlier IPL outing. Prince had an uneven debut season in IPL 2025, managing only three wickets across six matches. However, the shift from IPL 2025 to IPL 2026 has been clear, with Prince building on a strong domestic campaign and carrying that momentum into the league stage.
In IPL 2026, Prince has taken 16 wickets in 10 games, doing so at an economy rate of 8.08. With the BCCI expected to bring a group of younger players into the India T20I setup following IPL 2026, Prince is positioned as one of the leading candidates to earn a place in the next round of selection.
