Before Friday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru had won all four of their IPL 1026 matches as they chased, fueled largely by Virat Kohli’s red-hot form, scoring 222 runs at an average of 111 in successful run-chases. But on May 7, the script completely flipped. Kohli failed in the chase for the first time this season and RCB paid the price.
LSG vs RCB: MAIN | SCORECARD
The architect of this turnaround was Prince Yadav, who produced the magic of dreams, including Kohli’s winning wicket, to tilt the contest in favor of Lucknow Super Giants. His impact went beyond just one dismissal as he consistently applied pressure and disrupted RCB’s rhythm at crucial moments.
Prince’s heroics ensured LSG won in nine rounds (DLS method) and kept their faint playoff hopes alive. The win also snapped Lucknow’s eight-match home winless streak, making it a landmark result in their season. Without Prince’s decisive intervention, LSG could easily become the first team eliminated from the tournament.
JOK PRINCE KOHLI, RCB
Prince Yadav didn’t get off to the best of starts, dropping the ball in the very first over of RCB’s run which went to the boundary. However, this early lapse proved to be the only blemish on an otherwise excellent performance. While Mitchell Marsh laid the foundation for RCB, Prince struck the decisive blows.
Prince produced a sensational spell that completely rocked RCB, with the standout moment coming when he dismissed Virat Kohli for a two-ball duck. After swatting one away, he returned the ball sharply at 140.4km/h to break through Kohli’s defense and uproot the stumps, leaving the RCB camp stunned as the star batsman was bowled with pace and movement in a delivery of pure quality.
He then removed Devdutt Padikkal who chipped a simple return catch while attempting a drive. Soon after, Jitesh Sharma fell to a rising short ball and mistimed the keeper. Prince completely dominated the RCB batting unit by removing three key batsmen in a match-turning spell that decisively shifted the momentum. actually Prince used Kohli’s advice against him to trash the RCB legend.
Prince Yadav also made his presence felt on the field when he took a sharp catch at deep backward point to help Mohammed Shami dismiss Jacob Bethell. He further impressed with a diving stop at short third man, denying Devduttu Padikkal a boundary behind the wicket. Although Prince did not win the Player of the Match award, his impact ensured he remained firmly in the limelight.
PRINCE PLAYED BY BHARAT ARUN
Prince Yadav also earned praise from Bharat Arun, bowling coach of Lucknow Super Giants, for his amazing performance. Arun, India’s former bowling coach, highlighted that Prince’s ability to consistently hit the right lengths was the key to his success and underlined the impact he had throughout the match.
“Yes, Prince Yadav has bowled extremely well this season. He sticks to his strengths and hits the right lengths consistently, which is why he has been successful. The ball he bowled to Virat Kohli was beautiful, it just came sharp,” Arun told TV channels.
Prince Yadav was arguably Lucknow Super Giants’ outstanding bowler in the competition, taking 16 wickets from 10 matches at an economy rate of 7.45. He particularly enjoyed bowling against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, also taking three wickets in their earlier encounter at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Prince’s impressive consistency has made him the second highest wicket-taker in IPL 2026. However, despite his outstanding performances, LSG remain at the bottom of the table and will need a strong finish to keep their play-off hopes alive. Working alongside Mohammed Shami further refined his skills and boosted his confidence.
LSG now travel to the MA Chidambaram Stadium to take on the in-form Chennai Super Kings, who enter the competition on the back of two consecutive victories. For LSG to stay in contention for a top-four finish, Prince will need to maintain his excellent form in the key remaining matches.
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Published on:
May 8, 2026 07:42 IST
