Mumbai, May 8
Former New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan has praised Prince Yadav for his "divine delivery" that dismissed Virat Kohli during Lucknow Super Giants' high-intensity IPL 2026 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday.
During the run-chase of RCB, Prince struck early to remove Kohli cheaply as LSG registered a thrilling nine-run victory in a high-scoring contest.
Speaking on JioHotstar, McClenaghan described the dismissal as a perfect example of seam bowling execution, crediting both skill and subtle movement off the pitch for Kohli's early departure.
"It was a divine delivery. He wasn't trying to swing the ball in. He just hit the seam. It just swung in enough off the seam to beat Virat," JioStar expert McClenaghan said.
He also highlighted the importance of Yadav's spell in controlling RCB's batting momentum, especially his dismissal of in-form batter Devdutt Padikkal.
"After that, Padikkal was a big wicket as well. He has been in exceptional form and, just to be able to tighten him up slightly on that line, was crucial," he added.
McClenaghan further noted that the execution of the short-ball plan worked effectively due to Yadav's extra pace and accuracy, which restricted RCB's batters from playing their natural stroke play.
"He was searching for that ball on the hip to play the pull shot... but you've still got to be able to execute it, and the little extra pace that he possesses was able to get the job done," he said.
Former Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara also lauded the LSG speedster. "Not just this season, even last season, he impressed a lot. He bowls in all phases of the game, often in pressure situations. Even in this game, he gave away just two runs in an over and took a couple of wickets. He is talented, and that World Cup dream he was talking about, I am sure, will not be far from reality."
Pujara added, "Yes, he has the dream to represent India at the World Cup, but he also has the ability. It's important to focus on following the right process and keep improving, like he has done from last year to this season."
LSG defeated defending champions RCB by nine runs at Ekana Stadium. The hosts posted 209/3 in 19 overs, powered by a brilliant 111 off 56 balls from Mitchell Marsh and late contributions from Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant.
Chasing 213 under the DLS method, RCB suffered an early collapse with Prince Yadav dismissing Virat Kohli for a two-ball duck. Despite a strong 95-run partnership between Rajat Patidar (61) and Devdutt Padikkal (34), and late resistance from Tim David, Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd, RCB finished at 203/6, falling short by nine runs.
Prince Yadav (3/33) and Shahbaz Ahmed (2/33) led the bowling effort for LSG, while Marsh was named Player of the Match for his match-defining century.
- ANI
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