Prince Yadav, 24, is LSG’s breakout IPL 2026 fast bowler who bowled Virat Kohli for a duck. Explore his age, Najafgarh roots, BCCI ban, stats, and India selection buzz.
Prince Yadav is the name on every cricket fan’s lips in India right now. The 24-year-old right-arm fast-medium bowler from Najafgarh, Delhi — a small locality better known as the birthplace of legendary opener Virender Sehwag — has turned IPL 2026 into his personal coming-of-age tournament.
Playing for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Prince has been one of the leading wicket-takers of the season, has dismissed Virat Kohli for a golden duck — only the 11th bowler in IPL history to do so — and has forced India’s national selectors to sit up and take serious notice.
His journey to this point is one of the most compelling in recent Indian cricket. He was banned by the BCCI for two years for age-fraud, came from a family with no cricketing background, and was still playing tennis-ball cricket in the fields of Najafgarh at 17. Now, with 16 wickets in IPL 2026 at an average under nineteen and serious India ODI call-up speculation swirling around him, Prince Yadav is proof that the path from obscurity to opportunity in Indian cricket, though narrow, is very much still open.
Quick Facts About Prince Yadav
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Prince Ram Niwas Yadav |
| Date of Birth | 12 December 2001 |
| Age | 24 years old |
| Birthplace / Hometown | Najafgarh (Dariyapur Khurd village), Delhi, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Role | Right-arm Fast-Medium Bowler |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Domestic Team | Delhi |
| IPL Team (2026) | Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) |
| IPL Price | ₹30 lakh (retained) |
| First-Class Debut | January 2024 vs Jammu & Kashmir, Ranji Trophy |
| IPL Debut | 24 March 2025 vs Delhi Capitals |
| Father | Ram Niwas Yadav (former Railway Protection Force, now retired farmer) |
| Estimated Net Worth | ~₹1.5 crore |
Early Life and Family
Prince Yadav was born on 12 December 2001 and raised in Dariyapur Khurd, a small village on the outskirts of Najafgarh in Delhi — the same area that produced Virender Sehwag, one of the most destructive openers in cricket history. His father, Ram Niwas Yadav, worked for the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and is now a retired farmer.
His mother is a homemaker, and his sister is a teacher at a government school. There was no cricketing lineage in the family — his father’s dream was that Prince would study hard and find stable employment, perhaps in the police or government services, as his sister had.
Prince’s introduction to cricket came through the streets and fields of Najafgarh, where he played tennis-ball cricket with neighbours and friends from a young age. His arm speed was immediately evident — even with a tennis ball, he was noticeably quicker than his peers. Crucially, though, he did not pick up a leather ball until he was approximately 17 years old. That late start, combined with the age-fraud controversy that followed, makes his subsequent rise through professional cricket all the more extraordinary.
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Education
Prince Yadav’s academic background is modest and largely undisclosed in the public domain. His education progressed through local schools in the Najafgarh area. The BCCI’s age-fraud investigation revealed that his CBSE Class X records showed a date of birth of 10 June 1996 — a certificate issued years before he submitted a new birth certificate to the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) claiming a date of birth of 12 December 2001. The board ultimately banned him for two domestic seasons before allowing his return to senior cricket only.
Cricket Career: A Road Paved With Setbacks
Prince Yadav was enrolled into a cricket academy in Najafgarh after a local coach spotted his raw pace. He developed quickly through the Sporting Cricket Club and eventually attracted the attention of Delhi’s domestic cricket infrastructure. He was selected for the Delhi Under-19 team in 2018, performing well enough in age-group cricket to earn wider recognition — including a call-up to the India Under-19 B team. However, he narrowly missed selection for the 2020 ICC Under-19 World Cup squad.
The most significant setback of his early career came when the BCCI investigated a complaint about his age. The board found that Prince had submitted a birth certificate showing 12 December 2001 as his date of birth, while his CBSE records — from Class X examination passed in 2012 — indicated his actual birth date was 10 June 1996.
The BCCI confirmed this finding through an official communication to the DDCA and issued a two-year ban from all BCCI tournaments, with the additional condition that upon return, he could only participate in senior-level competitions. It was a crushing blow for a player just establishing himself.
The Comeback: Domestic Redemption
Rather than walk away, Prince Yadav turned the enforced absence into an intensive training period. He returned to the domestic circuit through Delhi’s senior teams and steadily rebuilt his reputation with the leather ball. The turning point came in the Delhi Premier League (DPL) T20 tournament, where he claimed 13 wickets in 10 matches for the New Delhi Tigers — the highest wicket tally by any pacer in that edition of the competition. Those performances put him squarely on the radar of IPL franchises heading into the 2025 mega auction.
His Vijay Hazare Trophy returns were equally compelling. He took 18 wickets in eight games for Delhi in the 2024–25 edition — a remarkable return that demonstrated he was not merely a T20 specialist but a multi-format threat. Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh worked extensively with Prince on his new-ball bowling during this period, encouraging him to develop an outswinger and to visualise taking wickets from the top of the innings rather than relying solely on his lethal yorker at the death.
IPL Career: From Net Bowler to Star
Prince Yadav’s relationship with the Lucknow Super Giants began before he was even a contracted player — he served as an LSG net bowler during their 2023 campaign, giving him invaluable exposure to the rhythms of the IPL environment. At the IPL 2025 mega auction, LSG acquired him for his base price of just ₹30 lakh. It was a punt, but an informed one.
His IPL debut on 24 March 2025 against Delhi Capitals announced his arrival with immediate impact. He took his first IPL wicket by clean-bowling Travis Head — then carrying the Orange Cap — with a full, straight delivery that crashed into the stumps. Despite a difficult debut season overall — 3 wickets in 6 matches at a high economy of 9.56 — LSG retained him for 2026. That loyalty proved richly rewarded.
IPL 2026: The Breakthrough Season
IPL 2026 has been the season that transformed Prince Yadav from a promising prospect into a national conversation. Armed with a developed outswinger, a refined new-ball plan, and the confidence that comes from knowing exactly what he can do, Prince has been LSG’s most productive Indian seamer in an attack that also features Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, and Mohsin Khan.
The defining moment came in a rain-affected evening in Lucknow, when Prince opened the bowling against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In the second over, he produced a seaming 140 kmph delivery — upright seam, firm wrist — that jagged back sharply, breached Virat Kohli’s defence, and crashed into off stump. Kohli was out for a golden duck, his first duck in the IPL since April 2023.
Prince became only the 11th bowler in IPL history to dismiss Kohli for nought, and only the second — after Dhawal Kulkarni in 2016 — to bowl him. He finished that match with three wickets, and the knock-on effect was immediate: his name began trending across India within the hour.
By mid-May 2026, heading into the final week of the league stage, Prince had taken 16 IPL wickets at an average under nineteen — near the top of the Purple Cap standings — with 5 of those wickets coming in the powerplay. His economy rate, which was 9.56 in his debut season, has been held at just over eight in 2026 despite pitches that have not been particularly friendly to fast bowlers.
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India Selection: The Afghanistan Conversation
Prince Yadav’s IPL 2026 performances have placed him firmly in the frame for an India call-up. India’s selectors are set to finalise ODI and Test squads for next month’s Afghanistan series, and multiple reports indicate that Prince’s name has entered the conversation in earnest.
With Harshit Rana recovering from injury and the team management openly weighing whether to rest Jasprit Bumrah after an extended IPL, there is genuine room in the seam-bowling stocks for a new face. The Vijay Hazare returns — 18 wickets in 8 games for Delhi — further strengthen the case.
ESPNcricinfo reported that selectors keep returning to the RCB match and the Kohli dismissal when discussing Prince, noting that it is the kind of moment that turns a name on a list into a real conversation. Sportsadda described him as having “worked his way into the conversation” on the back of a wicket-laden campaign. As of May 2026, an India debut remains unconfirmed but appears closer than at any point in his career.
Bowling Style and Strengths
Prince Yadav bowls right-arm fast-medium and consistently clocks between 135 and 140 kmph — not express pace, but sharp enough at T20 level, especially when combined with his primary weapons. His greatest strength is the yorker: accurate, heavy, and delivered from a repeatable action that makes it difficult to read.
Under Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh’s guidance, he has added a reliable outswinger to his repertoire, giving him the ability to threaten the outside edge with the new ball. He also bowls a deceptive slower bouncer — a variation that has accounted for multiple wickets in IPL 2026. In the powerplay, he now thinks in terms of dismissals rather than containment, a mindset shift that has made him considerably more dangerous in the first six overs.
Net Worth and Earnings
Prince Yadav’s estimated net worth stands at approximately ₹1.5 crore, a figure built primarily on his IPL earnings — ₹30 lakh per season with LSG — and domestic match fees with Delhi. His family background is modest, with no prior sporting income. As his profile grows and his IPL value rises toward potential retention or auction in future seasons, his earnings are expected to increase significantly.
Should he earn an India call-up against Afghanistan, BCCI match fees and a potential central contract would represent a major uplift to his financial standing.
Wrapping Up
Prince Yadav’s story is one Indian cricket fans will be talking about for years. From tennis-ball cricket in Najafgarh to a two-year BCCI ban to bowling Virat Kohli for a golden duck in the IPL — it is a journey that resists easy summarising. He is not a product of a famous academy or a privileged background. He is a product of late starts, hard lessons, relentless work, and a family that kept believing even when the system pushed back.
Whether India call-up materialises or not, Prince Yadav has already answered the most important question about himself — that he belongs at the highest level. Everything else is detail.
People Also Ask
How old is Prince Yadav the cricketer?
Prince Yadav was born on 12 December 2001, making him 24 years old in 2026. He is a right-arm fast-medium bowler from Najafgarh, Delhi, and plays for Delhi in domestic cricket and the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL. His actual date of birth was the subject of a BCCI age-fraud investigation in 2020, which found his CBSE records showed 10 June 1996 as his birth date.
Why was Prince Yadav banned by BCCI?
Prince Yadav was banned by the BCCI for two domestic seasons after being found guilty of age-fudging. He had submitted a birth certificate to the DDCA stating his date of birth was 12 December 2001, but BCCI’s investigation found that his CBSE Class X records — from an examination passed in 2012 — indicated his actual date of birth was 10 June 1996. Upon completing his ban, he was permitted to play only in senior-level competitions.
Did Prince Yadav dismiss Virat Kohli in IPL 2026?
Yes. Prince Yadav bowled Virat Kohli for a golden duck during a rain-affected IPL 2026 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow. The delivery — a 140 kmph inswinger that jagged back through Kohli’s defence — made Prince only the 11th bowler in IPL history to dismiss Kohli for a duck, and the first to bowl him out since Dhawal Kulkarni in 2016. Prince took three wickets in the match.
Is Prince Yadav in the India cricket team for 2026?
As of May 2026, Prince Yadav has not yet received an India call-up. However, his IPL 2026 season — 16 wickets at an average under nineteen, near the top of the Purple Cap standings — has generated serious national selection conversation ahead of India’s upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan. Multiple reports suggest he is under active consideration by the BCCI selectors.
