Prince Yadav’s breakout run in IPL 2026 keeps getting louder, and Thursday night in Lucknow felt like the kind of outing people remember for years. In the second ball of the second over of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s chase, he struck with pace and precision on a good length, targeting the fifth stump. Virat Kohli attempted to hold his shape, but the ball nipped back late and clipped the top of the off stump—an impact that drew immediate praise from former players and analysts alike.
Quick facts
At a glance
- Prince Yadav’s standout delivery came on the second ball of the second over in RCB’s chase in Lucknow.
- It was bowled fast and accurate on a good length, at the fifth stump, with late movement back into the stumps.
- The ball beat Virat Kohli’s defence and hit the top of off stump.
- Ambati Rayudu and Katey Martin called it a “ball of the tournament” type moment.
- LSG posted 209/3 in a 19-over-per-side contest; RCB fell short by nine runs.
- Prince finished with 3 wickets for 33 runs.
- Prince’s season tally reached 16 wickets, and his economy rate stands at 8.08.
On ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show, Ambati Rayudu went straight to the point. “I don’t think any batsman in the world can play that,” he said, describing the combination of movement and line as something beyond ordinary technique.
Katey Martin, equally impressed, framed it as more than just swing. “You have to say that at the ball of the tournament,” she said, highlighting how the delivery swung late, came back into the stumps, and finished at the top of off. In her view, it was a near-perfect execution—exactly the kind of ball that Prince Yadav likely dreams about, especially against Kohli, whom many expected to be central to RCB’s chase.
RCB captain’s view from the press conference
While the discussion played out on screen, Rajat Patidar was speaking at the press conference in Lucknow, looking back on the domestic matchups he and Prince have shared over time. Patidar said he has seen him “from the start,” adding that the young fast bowler brings plenty of variety, along with real pace and swing.
Patidar also praised Prince’s trust in his own skills. “One of his qualities is that he trusts his skills,” he said, calling it commendable. He added that Prince has consistently delivered early breakthroughs, and claimed he has rarely conceded heavily—labelling the spell as “game-changing.”
For LSG, the backdrop to that contest was a strong total: 209 for 3 in a shortened 19-overs-a-side format. The chase was challenging but not impossible, and Kohli was expected to anchor the innings, with the rest accelerating around him. Instead, those two balls from Prince were enough to derail the plan, and although RCB pushed hard, they ended up falling short by nine runs.
Prince, who ended with three wickets while conceding just 33 runs, played down the personal glory when he addressed the media. He said he felt particularly good after Kohli’s dismissal, but his main emotion was that his team won. “If I had taken the wicket and we had lost, it wouldn’t have been so [good],” he added.
He also brought context to his season impact. By that point, his wicket haul had moved up to 16—sitting just behind the Purple Cap leaders in the standings.
Why the Kohli wicket matters
Rayudu returned to the theme of Prince’s special delivery when he spoke again about the wicket. He suggested Prince’s international debut could be close, calling him a “special talent.” Rayudu pointed to the ferocity in his run-up, saying it signals he is coming in to compete, and noted that many of his deliveries are aimed at the stumps.
Rayudu singled out the Kohli ball as “very, very special,” explaining that the seam stayed upright and the wicket proved decisive precisely because it involved Virat Kohli. He also added a personal note about the Delhi connection, saying Prince comes from Delhi as well and that he has teammates in that setup.
Prince has been doing much of the work for his side across the tournament, with only two matches so far where he failed to take a wicket. His economy rate—8.08—stands out as another marker of control. Among bowlers who have bowled at least 30 overs this season, only Sunil Narine (6.80), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (7.64) and Mohammed Siraj (8.00) have better figures, and among those three, only Bhuvneshwar has taken more wickets than Prince, with 17.
Fitness, too, has been presented as a major driver. The improvement in his game is also tied back to his early development in tennis-ball cricket. At 24, he is still relatively young, but he has already shown that late-blooming curve—making major strides in just a couple of seasons of higher-level competitive cricket.
What teammates and experts have noticed
Martijn spoke positively about Prince’s mechanics, especially his “arm speed through the crease” and the energy he generates to maintain an incredible seam position. Rayudu, watching from the sidelines, appeared to wish he could have been positioned in the slips to fully appreciate it in real time.
“I think he’ll be a treat to stand [to] in the slips,” Rayudu said. He described the experience of watching Prince bowl as “unbelievable,” and said it would be a pleasure to field either in first or second slip. Rayudu also suggested Prince’s skill set could translate beyond T20, calling him a potential 50-over bowler and an all-format prospect given how he looks right now.
He attributed Prince’s repeatable impact to his fitness and agility, pointing to a clean action and a consistency that many bowlers struggle to sustain. Rayudu argued that the typical pattern is one or two good deliveries per over from many bowlers, but Prince is capable of delivering four or five quality balls in the same over.
Martin summed up the variety she has seen in Prince’s spellcraft as well. She highlighted slower balls and how, at length, he can get underneath the bat. She also praised his alignment, saying it looks beautiful through the crease. Even while discussing him as a fast bowler, Martin suggested the perception is that he is arriving quicker than expected because of the skiddy nature of his bowling; she added that he can both swing and seam the ball, making either edge feel like a threat.
