Hey Gambhir, are you watching? Prince Yadav's push for India debut can't be ignored

"Right now, I am thinking when I will be able to play the 2027 World Cup with Virat and Rohit. And we will win that. If you see, they have almost all the trophies. 50-50 World Cup."

"Right now, they don't have much. So, I would like India to win the 2027 World Cup. And I will be a part of that team. And if we win that, it will be a very good thing for them."

These were the words of Prince Yadav when he was asked about his immediate ambitions in cricket. And just days later, the pacer dismissed one of his heroes with a delivery that can easily be called the ball of the tournament in IPL 2026. But Prince isn’t defined by just that one moment.

In a pace attack featuring the likes of Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Anrich Nortje and Mayank Yadav, the Delhi pacer initially seemed like an outlier. Early in the season, the spotlight was firmly on Mayank’s return, but Prince quietly went about building his reputation as Lucknow’s go-to bowler.

His three wickets in the must-win clash against RCB took his tally to 16 scalps in 10 matches.

Right now, however, much of the buzz is around that one delivery to Virat Kohli—a ball that has captured the imagination of fans. Using Kohli’s own advice against him, Prince produced a moment of magic, breaching the Indian great’s solid defence.

That moment got people talking, and Ambati Rayudu was quick to back him for bigger things.

“I think he’s going to make his debut soon for India. That guy is a special talent. We have seen it throughout the IPL, and also the way he runs in his run-up itself tells that he’s in there with a fight. He bowls a heavy ball, and most of his deliveries are hitting the stumps if you look at it."

"That’s a speciality and the ball [to Kohli] was very, very special. That’s a beautiful ball to bowl, with it swinging right in front of the bat. I don’t think any batsman in the world can play them,” said Rayudu on ESPNcricinfo.

WHAT MAKES PRINCE WORK?

One of the key factors behind Prince’s success is his ability to make an impact at every stage of the innings, regardless of how Rishabh Pant chooses to use him. He can set the tone in the powerplay, control the middle overs and take responsibility at the death.

And the numbers back it up.

Among the 22 pacers who have bowled at least 25 overs this season, Prince has the second-best average (18.68) and the third-best economy rate (8.08).

Among the 44 bowlers who have bowled at least 20 overs this season, he has the most balanced workload across phases—37.8 percent with the new ball, 29.8 percent in the middle overs, and 32.4 percent at the death.

A standout feature of Prince’s bowling is his control over length and his ability to swing the ball both ways. The delivery to Kohli was set up perfectly—an outswinger followed by one that jagged back sharply to send the off-stump cartwheeling.

With the new ball, he has consistently operated in the good-length and back-of-a-length areas, returning figures of six for 67. He has picked up three wickets with the inswinger and two with the outswinger this season.

In the middle overs, he has used hard lengths effectively to claim four wickets while maintaining control over the scoring rate.

His performances have also impressed RCB captain Rajat Patidar, who hailed him as a complete fast bowler.

"I have seen him from the start. He has a lot of variations. He has pace. He has swing. He is a proper fast bowler."

"One of his qualities is that he trusts his skills," Patidar said. "That is commendable. I have seen him for a long time. He has given his team [an important early] breakthrough - he is an expert in that. Spot on! I have never seen him give a lot of runs. I think it was a game-changing spell."

THE RIGHT MENTALITY

Beyond his skill set, Prince has the mindset to match. He is constantly looking to learn and improve, something evident in the way he has worked closely with Shami.

"I learned a lot from him (Shami) about the new ball. But the best thing about him is that whenever a bowler is bowling, he stands mid-on or mid-off. So, if such an experienced player is standing with you, there is a different level of confidence," said Prince.

While dismissing Kohli was a special moment, team success remains his top priority.

"I felt good after the (Kohli) wicket, but I am most happy that we won the match. If I had taken the wicket and we had lost, it wouldn't have been so (good)," said Prince.

The ingredients are clearly there, and India may have found another promising piece for its pace attack.

With series against Afghanistan cricket team and Zimbabwe cricket team coming up, this could be the perfect window for Prince to take the next step and make his debut.

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