Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar admitted his side were “two shots behind” Lucknow Super Giants in a tightly fought IPL 2026 contest at Lucknow on Thursday, May 7, a result that also ended LSG’s run of six straight defeats at the venue. Patidar showered praise on Prince Yadav, whose decisive spell of 3 for 33 helped RCB slip behind in their chase, ultimately finishing nine runs short in a rain-affected match reduced to 19 overs per side.
Prince made an immediate impact as he struck off his second delivery, cutting through Virat Kohli’s defensive play to leave RCB reeling at 9/2 while chasing 213. He then dismantled a 95-run partnership by removing Devdutt Padikkal, before accounting for Jitesh Sharma just four balls later. With RCB needing 63 from the final four overs and already behind the required pace, the lower order launched a spirited counter-attack, but Lucknow held their nerve to hand the defending champions a second consecutive loss.
At the post-match press conference, Patidar called Prince’s performance a “game-changing spell” and said he rarely sees the seamer concede heavily at any level. Patidar said, “We’ve played a lot of domestic matches with Prince against Delhi. I’ve been watching him since the start. He has a lot of variations, he has pace, line and length, and swing with the new ball. Overall, he’s a proper fast bowler. One of his strengths is the way he trusts his skills. That’s commendable.”
He added, “And I’ve seen him for a long time. He’s given his team breakthroughs. And he’s an expert at that. Spot on. I’ve been watching him for a long time; I’ve never seen him give away runs. And even today, he bowled really well, especially the slowers that he tried. That was a game-changing spell for him.”
Prince, also speaking at the same conference, said he felt especially good after removing Kohli, though he was even happier that his team came out on top. He noted that if he had taken the wicket but LSG had still lost, the feeling would have been different.
Prince, who is currently RCB’s leading wicket-taker and sits third on the Purple Cap standings, credited fast-bowling coach Bharat Arun and senior pacer Mohammed Shami for guiding him throughout the season. He specifically highlighted Shami’s advice on bowling in the new-ball phase, and pointed to how Shami’s consistent presence at mid-on or mid-off has boosted his confidence.
Speaking separately to broadcasters about Kohli’s dismissal, Prince said Kohli had, incidentally, passed on a key piece of guidance to him after their previous match—advice Prince then followed. When asked whether the plan was to target the exact area that led to Kohli’s wicket, Prince replied: “That was exactly the plan. In fact, after the last match, I was talking to Virat Bhaiya only, and he himself told me (this). We spoke on a lot of things after that game, and he told me that if the ball is doing things around the length-mark, then don’t leave that length.”
Despite Prince’s spell, the game ultimately hinged on a tense finish. RCB required 20 runs in the final over, with Rishabh Pant placing his trust in Digvesh Rathi, who had conceded 41 runs in three overs. Prince said the team never had doubts about the spinner delivering at that stage.
Earlier, in the first innings, RCB had been rocked by Mitch Marsh’s aggressive batting, with the Australian smashing a belligerent century off 49 balls. Before rain disrupted the proceedings, Marsh appeared to be in total control, scoring 107 of LSG’s 145 runs.
Patidar reflected on the impact of Marsh’s start, saying, “The way he (Marsh) started in the powerplay, it put pressure on us in a way. But I am quite satisfied with the way we bowled and controlled the game.” He also reiterated the match’s narrow margin: “I felt like we were two shots behind: we just lost by nine runs.”
Even though it was not a home fixture, RCB still received strong backing from supporters in the Lucknow stands. Patidar said it never feels like an away game for them, calling it a “specialty of RCB fans” to show up wherever the franchise plays. He also dismissed any idea that the squad is carrying the “defending champions” label into the season, insisting the mindset is to chase the title again rather than protect last year’s status.
Patidar said, “We don’t have any mindset that we have to defend (the title). We have to play an attacking game. And with an attacking mindset, we have another opportunity to become champions again this year. We don’t have a defensive mindset or defensive frame of mind, that we have to defend (the title).”
He concluded, “This is a new season. What we did was in 2025. We’re trying to be in the present as much as possible for the team.”
