The 50th match of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium was nothing short of a high-octane drama. In a rain-curtailed 19-over encounter on Thursday, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) secured a gritty 9-run victory via the DLS method against 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 young pacer Prince Yadav, whose clinical bowling display turned the tide but also sparked a controversial firestorm online.
Prince Yadav credits the mastermind responsible for Virat Kohli’s early dismissal in IPL 2026
Chasing a daunting target of 213, RCB’s innings started in catastrophic fashion. Prince, steaming in with the new ball, produced the moment of the match in the second over. After Mohammed Shami dismissed Jacob Bethell, Prince clean-bowled Virat Kohli for a 2-ball duck with a delivery that nipped back sharply to rattle the stumps.
The young pacer didn’t stop there; he finished with stellar figures of 3/33 in 4 overs, also accounting for the dangerous Devdutt Padikkal (34) and Jitesh Sharma (1). Speaking at the post-match presentation, Prince remained incredibly humble, revealing that his victim was actually his mentor.
“I misfielded the first ball, but I knew I had to put it behind me and ensure I don’t lose focus,” Prince Yadav stated. “After the last match, I was talking to Virat bhaiya and he only told me—as long as it’s moving around off a length, stick to that length. I was just following his advice today. We lost six consecutive matches, but we will continue to put in efforts,” Prince revealed during the post-match presentation.
Despite Rajat Patidar’s valiant 61 off 31 balls and late cameos from Krunal Pandya (28*) and Tim David (40), RCB finished at 203/6, falling just short of the target.
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While Prince’s performance was a textbook example of a breakout game, the aftermath on social media highlighted the toxic underbelly of sports fandom. In India, where cricket is viewed as a religion and Virat is worshipped as a demi-god, Prince’s feat of dismissing the legend for a duck was met with vitriol rather than applause.
Immediately following the dismissal, Prince’s Instagram account was flooded with thousands of abusive comments and derogatory remarks from self-proclaimed fans of the former Indian captain. The irony was lost on the trolls: Prince had used the very advice Kohli gave him to improve his game.
This dark side of fandom serves as a stark reminder of the pressure young athletes face. Despite delivering a match-winning performance for his franchise, breaking a six-match losing streak for LSG, the young bowler had to navigate a wave of unhinged digital negativity. The cricketing community has since come out in support of Prince, urging fans to respect the spirit of the game and celebrate the rise of domestic talent rather than vilifying success.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Virat Kohli fans started abusing Prince Yadav in his Instagram post.
It’s literally a shame that these Virat fans can’t handle when their idol gets out.🤡 pic.twitter.com/zyLougeh4L
— Drona (@drona_17) May 7, 2026
Virat Kohli fans on 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 devastated 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 replete with Virat Kohli fans abusing him for getting Kohli out.
It is horrifying to see a toxic fanclub bullying a young bowler who was simply doing his job. pic.twitter.com/69T6CRJ3Zr
— Brutal Truth (@sarkarstix) May 7, 2026
Virat Kohli fans are built different. You often see fans of other cricketers abusing bowlers in comment sections after they dismiss their favourite player, but Kohli fans were full of praise for young Prince Yadav after he knocked him over yesterday. pic.twitter.com/yLd4Wvt67I
— The Cricket View (@TheCricketView) May 8, 2026
Virat Kohli fans after Prince Yadav dismissed on duck at Ekana Stadium 😭💔
Prince gets king Kohli
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants. pic.twitter.com/Xwbfi1J8py
— MANU. (@IMManu_18) May 7, 2026
question to true virat kohli fan –
does it make sense to abuse our youngsters like this?
prince yadav produced a ball of ages and bowled out virat kohli, but some of his toxic fans literally went on his instagram handle and abusing this young bowler. even though some of are… pic.twitter.com/XtpLeAEec9
— S H I V A N S H (@MehentiLadka) May 7, 2026
49 seconds of Virat Kohli fans barking like dogs in 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 that he wanted to win the 2027 wc for Virat and Rohit but look at these chokli dogs cursing him in the comments no doubt RCB fans are 🤡🤡 https://t.co/eZngRjgzf2
— DB (@Brevisnation12) May 7, 2026
