50th encounter 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) The Bharat Ratna was nothing short of high-octane drama at the Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. In the 19th match on Thursday, the rain eased Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) won by 9 runs by DLS method vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). while Mitchell Marsh‘s explosive 111 off 56 balls set the stage for LSG’s mammoth 209/3, the night belonged to the young pacer. Prince YadavHis clinical bowling screen turned the tide, but also a controversial firestorm online.
Prince Yadav owes organizer responsible for Virat Kohli’s early dismissal in IPL 2026
Chasing a formidable target of 213, RCB’s innings got off to a disastrous start. Shahzade, steaming with the new ball, produced the moment of the match in the second half. after Muhammad Shami was fired Jacob BethellPrince clean bowl Virat Kohli for a 2-ball duck with a sharply back-slapping delivery to rattle the stumps.
The young pacer didn’t stop there; he finished with stellar figures of 3/33 at 4, while also being considered dangerous Devdutt Padikkal (34) and Jitesh Sharma (1). Speaking at the post-match presentation, Prince remained incredibly humble and revealed that his victim was actually his mentor.
“I miscued the first ball, but I knew I had to put it back and make sure I didn’t lose focus,” Prince Yadav said. “After the last match, I was talking to Virat bhaiya and he just told me – as long as it moves on a length, stick to that length. I followed his advice today. We have lost six matches in a row, but we will continue our efforts“, Prince announced during the post-match presentation.
Although Rajat Patidar‘s brave 61 off 31 balls and late cameos Krunal Pandya (28*) and Tim David (40), RCB finished on 203/6, falling just short of the target.
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While Prince’s speech was a textbook example of a sloppy game, what happened on social media highlighted the toxic underbelly of sports fandom. In India, where cricket is viewed as a religion and Virat is seen as a demi-god, Prince’s rejection of the duck legend was met with vitriol rather than applause.
Immediately after his dismissal, Prince’s Instagram account was flooded with thousands of abusive comments and insults from self-proclaimed fans of the former Indian captain. The irony was lost on the trolls: Prince used Kohli’s advice to improve his game.
This dark side of fandom is a reminder of the pressures young athletes face. Despite delivering a match-winning performance for his franchise, snapping a six-match losing streak for LSG, the young bowler had to ride a wave of sheer digital negativity. Since then, the cricketing community has supported Prince, urging fans to respect the spirit of the game and celebrate the rise of local talent rather than insult success.
Here’s how the fans reacted:
Virat Kohli fans started insulting Prince Yadav on his Instagram post.
It’s literally a shame these Virat fans can’t handle it when their idol goes out.🤡 pic.twitter.com/zyLougeh4L
— Drona (@drona_17) May 7, 2026
Virat Kohli fans in Prince Yadav’s comment section. 🤬🤬#LSGvsRCB pic.twitter.com/0n0scw6mYK
– Indian Cricket (@IPL2025Auction) May 7, 2026
King 👑 Kohli departs for a golden duck 🦆 All hopes of Virat Kohli fans are dashed now 😕 Nothing left 🤷 #IPL #LSGvsRCB pic.twitter.com/YkuhjhTQSl https://t.co/xb0eqWUSev
— Aware Indian (@Aware_Indian7) May 7, 2026
Prince Yadav’s Instagram posts are full of Virat Kohli fans abusing him for taking out Kohli.
It is appalling to see a toxic fan club bully a young bowler who is just doing his job. pic.twitter.com/69T6CRJ3Zr
— Brutal Truth (@sarkarstix) May 7, 2026
Virat Kohli fans are made differently. You often see fans of other cricketers bashing bowlers in the comment sections after they reject their favorite players, but Kohli’s fans lauded young Prince Yadav yesterday after he felled him. pic.twitter.com/yLd4Wvt67I
— The Cricket View (@TheCricketView) May 8, 2026
Virat Kohli fans after being dismissed on a duck at Prince Yadav Ekana Stadium 😭💔
Prince gets king Kohli
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants. pic.twitter.com/Xwbfi1J8py
– HAND (@IMManu_18) May 7, 2026
question to true virat kohli fan –
does it make sense to insult our youth in this way?
prince yadav produced an old ball and hit virat kohli but some of his toxic fans literally took to his instagram handle and abused this young bowler. although some… pic.twitter.com/XtpLeAEec9
— SHIVANSH (@MehentiLadka) May 7, 2026
49 seconds of Virat Kohli fans barking like dogs at Prince Yadav’s Instagram comments with dog sounds.🐕🦺 pic.twitter.com/fYesnIiOR1
— Abhishek Kumar (@Abhishek060722) May 7, 2026
Just a day ago Prince Yadav said he wanted to win 2027 WC for Virat and Rohit but look at these chokli dogs cursing him in the comments, no doubt RCB fans 🤡🤡 https://t.co/eZngRjgzf2
— DB (@Brevisnation12) May 7, 2026
Also READ: Prince Yadav reveals the plan behind Virat Kohli’s shocking dismissal for a duck in IPL 2026
