Plagued by injuries which hampered their pace line-up and in the wake of Lucknow Super Giants having suffered heartbreak in their IPL 2025 season opener, captain Rishabh Pant played his mystery card as he launched an unheralded Prince Yadav and the 23-year-old put on a spectacular show, which included dismissing Travis Head as his maiden IPL wicket.
The Delhi-based bowler had left LSG scouts impressed with his hit-the-deck ability in the inaugural edition of the Delhi Premier League last year and, hence, was handed his maiden IPL contract when Lucknow signed him at the mega auction last November for a base price of INR 30 lakh. He had picked up 13 wickets in 10 innings during that domestic T20 tournament. Yadav was also Delhi's leading wicket-taker in the 2024-25 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he picked 11 wickets in 6 matches at 22.
On Tuesday, Yadav was brought in right after the end of the powerplay, and he struck immediately. After being hit for a four in his first ball in the IPL, he bounced back to dismiss the dangerous Head with a stunning yorker. The Aussie had cleared his front leg to heave and hence missed the fuller delivery that rattled against the middle and off. LSG mentor Zaheer Khan was ecstatic in the dugout as he applauded the effort.
Yadav also inflicted the dismissal of Heinrich Klaasen. It happened on the final ball of the 12th over when Nitish Reddy smashed the low full toss from him straight at the bowler, and it ricocheted straight on the stumps at the other end, leaving Klaasen unfortunate. Although it resulted in a small injury scare, Yadav's stunning display also earned a standing ovation from LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, too, was all praise for how he had mixed his line and length throughout the spell and did not allow the batters to settle in.
Shardul Thakur's four-fer steals the show
{{/usCountry}}Yadav also inflicted the dismissal of Heinrich Klaasen. It happened on the final ball of the 12th over when Nitish Reddy smashed the low full toss from him straight at the bowler, and it ricocheted straight on the stumps at the other end, leaving Klaasen unfortunate. Although it resulted in a small injury scare, Yadav's stunning display also earned a standing ovation from LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, too, was all praise for how he had mixed his line and length throughout the spell and did not allow the batters to settle in.
Shardul Thakur's four-fer steals the show
{{/usCountry}}The India all-rounder, who made a late entry to IPL after going unsold at the mega auction last year, dished out an impressive show, where he picked up four wickets, two of which came on consecutive balls to restrict SRH to 190 for nine.