In a match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow, Lucknow Super Giants pacer Prince Yadav produced one of the leading bowling showings of IPL 2026 led to an important win for his side and moved he also into third place (level on points with Mohammad Siraj) in Purple Cap standings.
The young speedster was instrumental in helping LSG snatch a nine-run victory on the DLS method at Ekana Stadium, following heavy rain. His unique spell halted RCB’s chase in its tracks and further solidified his stature as one of the breakout bowlers of the season.
Yadav’s spell turns the game
RCB were chasing a revised target of 213 in a contest that was limited to 19 overs and needed stability from their seasoned top-order. But Prince Yadav came charging in, and while pitch had grass, he bowled with discipline and got sharp movement off the few balls released by batting unit here.
The most notable point of his stint came in the dismissal of the world’s best batsman Virat Kohli for a silver duck producing one of the best deliveries to have been bowled in this World Cup. The ball jagged back sharply and Hit stumps crashing into the stumps, Kohli looked totally flabbergasted.
Ambati Rayudu, the former India cricketer later gave accolades to Prince for his excellent bowling throughout the IPL 2026 match rather than just a single moment as he dubbed that delivery one of the best balls seen in the season.
Prince built from there, taking more key wickets and ending with three scalps as he played an important role in choking RCB, who lost steam after a late surge from Tim David and Rajat Patidar.
Century by Mitchell Marsh sets foundation for LSG total
Earlier, Mitchell Marsh cracked a ton riding Lucknow Super Giants to the absolute best. But Intel was anchored by Marsh and unleashed the barrage in those middle overs of sputtering bowling attack on RCB, which initially started a little under pressure.
Lucknow needed that momentum in a match, shortened to 29 overs and he gave it to Lucknow with its 111 tool’ innings. Heavy rain interruptions throughout the day had put a question mark on how many runs Australia would manage, but Ashwin looked unfazed by pace or spin and helped drive them past 200.
RCB had to chase down against the DLS method with a total of 203 for 6 in hand, which ended nine runs short.
Moving Up the Purple Cap Standings
Related StoriesUnder go The Purple Cap: Prince Yadav inches his way into the IPL 2026 Purple Cap race with three-wicket haul Prasidh Krishna’s a method away from greatness; Quality of runs in India speaks volumes about pace attack Kim Kardashian jumps down to Miami for colourful money Christmas celebrations and grabs attention Bolly! After the match, he had moved up to third on the list of leading wicket-takers in the tournament.
As it has been the case, the race for Purple Cap this season has remained quite neck and neck with several bowlers vying for top spot. Performances of Power Prince have provided further evidence he belongs in the leading pack, having consistently found himself on quicker teams at critical points in recent seasons.
This year the young pacer has stepped up, becoming one of Lucknow’s most reliable bowlers. His yorkers, hard lengths and wicket taking deliveries in the powerplay lead to LSG having another dimension compared to their current bowling unit.
Kohli And Prince Share A Warm Moment After The Match
Former India captain Virat Kohli praised Prince Yadav after the match despite having turned down one of India’s greatest cricket stars. After that, TV cameras showed a warm gesture from the two players, where Kohli was seen congratulating the youngster for his excellent spell.
Later, Prince disclosed that the delivery he used to send Kohli back was inspired by the RCB batter ‘s advice earlier. Young bowler then recalled how Kohli — whom he addressed as “Virat bhaiya” in his India debuts — had previously motivated him for attacking the stumps and staying aggressive.
The incident soon became one of the highlights from the match, with many pundits and fans applauding both Kohli for his sportsmanship and Prince for backing himself on such a high-profile stage.
RCB’s Playoff Push Suffers Setback
The loss made things a little tricky for RCB’s playoff campaign, although they remain well placed in the top half of the points table. An aggressive half-century from Rajat Patidar and late hitting from Tim David nearly chased down an impossible target, but the damage of losing so many early wickets was too much to overcome.
Kohli fell cheaply and RCB’s senior batsmen contributed little as the team once again faced top-order woes. The remaining league stage matches were more competitive in nature now putting the team under pressure to qualify for playoffs.
The win provided Lucknow with their first points obtained at home after three previous defeats, and bolstered morale in the camp. Marsh’s ton, especially in conjunction with a superb bowling performance by Prince Yadav helped the franchise to its first win of the campaign and that too just when it needed support from home fans.