'How did he bowl that ball?': Virat Kohli's first reaction to Prince Yadav's 'dream delivery'

Virat Kohli and Prince Yadav (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)

NEW DELHI: Not just the fans, commentators or the Royal Challengers Bengaluru dugout, even Virat Kohli himself was left stunned after being bowled by an absolute beauty from Prince Yadav during the IPL 2026 clash between RCB and Lucknow Super Giants on Thursday. Prince dismissed Kohli for a two-ball duck in the match. Prince delivered a 140kph good-length ball outside off stump that drew Kohli forward before sharply nipping back into the right-hander, beating his inside edge and sending the off stump cartwheeling.

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Impressed by the young pacer’s rise this season, Lucknow Super Giants bowling coach Bharat Arun hailed Prince’s evolution in IPL 2026, describing the delivery to Kohli as a “dream ball” while also backing him to represent India in the future. Prince, who managed just three wickets in six matches last season, has emerged as one of the standout fast bowlers of IPL 2026 with 16 wickets in 10 innings. His brilliant nip-backer to Kohli in Lucknow - where LSG defeated RCB by nine runs in a rain-affected encounter - was widely described by many as the “ball of the tournament.” "See, Prince, last year he showed glimpses of what he could achieve. So, actually this year during the camps that we had, we discussed his strengths. See, under pressure, sometimes a bowler goes blank. But under pressure, the one who is confident of executing his strengths is going to be most successful in execution. "So, we had lot of one-on-one chats during the pre-season camps and things like that. And understood what is the best, what are their strengths. And we went about working perfectly on their strengths and on execution. Even we had a chat with Kohli and Kohli said: 'how did he bowl that ball?' “Because it's not very common - mostly, outswing bowlers, after pitching, the ball swings in the air. After pitching, the ball tends to come in because of the position of the seam, how it lands. I don't think any bowler can bowl it at will, but if you are consistently working on your swing, it can be possible. And it was a dream ball," Arun said during the pre-match press conference ahead of LSG’s clash against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on Sunday afternoon. Arun, who previously served as India’s bowling coach, also believes tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav - who played three T20Is for India in 2024 after a breakthrough IPL season - along with uncapped left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan, have the potential to represent the national side. "See, one reason for me joining Lucknow Super Giants is due to the fact they were really exciting bowlers. If you look at Prince, Mohsin (Khan), (Mohammed) Shami is doing well and even now Mayank Yadav bowled pretty well in the last game. Okay, he is a little short of match practice I would say, but he is getting there. And also, we have a few other exciting prospects on hand. "So, overall if you look at it, if you ask me a question, can they play for India? Yes, they have it in them to play (for India). It's (now about) how well they (the Indian team management) bring together the talent and getting the best out of it is a challenge for them," he added.

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