Lucknow, May 8: For a young fast bowler still trying to establish himself in the IPL, dismissing Virat Kohli with a peach of a delivery is the kind of moment that makes one an overnight star. On Thursday (May 7) night in Lucknow, Prince Yadav produced exactly that moment.
The Lucknow Super Giants pacer bowled what several commentators described as one of the deliveries of IPL 2026 to send Kohli back for his first duck in the tournament since April 2023.
During Royal Challengers Bengaluru's chase against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium, Prince steamed in during the second over and delivered a sharp 140-kmph nip-backer that completely beat Kohli for pace and movement before crashing into the stumps.
The dismissal stunned the crowd and immediately
shifted momentum towards Lucknow.
Kohli, one of the finest players against pace in world cricket, looked totally undone by the delivery. It marked the first time the RCB batting icon had been dismissed for a duck in the IPL since his first-ball dismissal against Rajasthan Royals back in IPL 2023.
It was also the first time in nine years that Kohli registered a duck while chasing in the IPL, the previous instance coming against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in 2017.
The Kohli Advice Prince Used Against Him
What made the dismissal even more fascinating was the story Prince revealed after the match. The young pacer admitted that Kohli himself had given him valuable advice earlier in the tournament when the two teams met in Bengaluru - advice that ultimately helped Prince dismiss the batting superstar in Lucknow.
"After the last match, I was talking to Virat bhaiya and he only told me - as long as it's moving around off a length, stick to that length," Prince revealed after LSG's nine-run DLS victory.
Prince appeared to execute that exact plan perfectly against Kohli at the Ekana Stadium.
Bowling from around the wicket, he maintained the ideal hard length while allowing the seam movement to do the damage. The late inward movement left Kohli with almost no time to react as the ball crashed into the stumps. The dismissal immediately became one of the defining moments of IPL 2026.
Prince Refuses to Overhype Kohli Wicket
Despite producing one of the biggest moments of his young IPL career, Prince remained remarkably calm and grounded after the match.
The 24-year-old insisted that the team's victory mattered far more than the personal milestone of dismissing Kohli.
"I felt good after the wicket, but I am most happy that we won the match. If I had taken the wicket and we had lost, it wouldn't have been so good," Prince said.
Lucknow eventually defeated RCB by nine runs under the DLS method to end a six-match losing streak and revive faint playoff hopes.
Prince repeatedly stressed that wickets only feel valuable when they contribute towards winning. "Whether it's a different way or one way, when a bowler takes a wicket, it feels good. But as I said earlier, if the situation was such that we could have won the match only if we had taken the wicket, that's what happened and I am feeling good," he added.
The Delivery That Changed the Match
The wicket arrived at a crucial phase of the chase. Earlier in the over, veteran pacer Mohammed Shami had already removed Jacob Bethell, leaving RCB under early pressure.
Prince then produced the breakthrough everyone would remember. Bowling at nearly 140 kmph, the young pacer angled the ball in before getting it to jag back sharply off the surface. Kohli attempted to defend but was beaten completely as the ball crashed into the off stump.
The wicket left RCB struggling at 9/2 inside the opening overs. Although Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal later launched a strong recovery, Prince's spell eventually proved decisive in the outcome of the contest.
The right-arm pacer from Delhi finished with outstanding figures of 3/33.
Prince Yadav's Breakout IPL Season Continues
Prince's emergence has quietly become one of the biggest positives for Lucknow during an otherwise turbulent IPL 2026 campaign.
With 16 wickets this season, the pacer now sits just behind Purple Cap leaders Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Anshul Kamboj.
What has impressed most observers is his ability to consistently deliver breakthroughs with the new ball while also executing slower deliveries and variations effectively during pressure moments.
Against RCB, he removed: Kohli early with the new ball, Devdutt Padikkal during a key partnership, and Jitesh Sharma shortly after.
The spell completely altered the momentum of the game.
Prince Credits Mohammed Shami for Confidence
The young pacer also revealed how much he has learnt from senior India fast bowler Mohammed Shami this season. "I learned a lot from him about the new ball," Prince said.
"But the best thing about him is that whenever a bowler is bowling, he stands mid-on or mid-off. So, if such an experienced player is standing with you, there is a different level of confidence. "
The comments highlighted the role experienced players have played in helping Prince develop rapidly during IPL 2026.
