Sanjiv Goenka on BCCI Squad Selection for India. Image Credits: X
Sanjiv Goenka, principal owner of Lucknow Super Giants, shares a special bond with young fast bowler Prince Yadav. Goenka’s RPSG Group picked Yadav at his base price of ₹30 lakh in the 2025 IPL mega auction and kept him for 2026.
Their relationship drew attention during IPL 2026 when a video showed Goenka personally checking on Yadav’s finger injury mid-match.
Now, Yadav has earned his India call-up for the T20I series against England and Ireland after Afghanistan selection. Goenka finally spoke publicly about this selection, expressing joy and pride in his player’s journey from tennis-ball cricket to the national team.
Prince Yadav’s Rise From Doemstic Cricket To India Call-Up
Yadav’s path to the Indian team is a story of grit. He started playing tennis-ball cricket in Delhi. Coach Amit Vashisht spotted him at age 18 because of his deadly yorkers.
His father wanted him to take a stable government job and strongly opposed cricket. In December 2019, the BCCI banned Yadav for two years for age-fudging. Many thought his career was over.
Yadav served the ban and worked on his fitness. He made his first-class debut for Delhi in January 2024.
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In the Delhi Premier League, playing for Purani Delhi 6 under Rishabh Pant, he took 13 wickets in 10 games with extra bounce and clever pace changes. He then became Delhi’s top wicket-taker in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The Lucknow Super Giants noticed him and bought him for ₹30 lakh in the 2025 IPL auction. In his very first IPL match, he clean-bowled Australian star Travis Head.
Retained for 2026, he became LSG’s main Indian fast bowler. He grabbed 16 wickets in 14 matches with high speed and hard lengths. This performance earned him a spot in India’s ODI squad for the Afghanistan series in May 2026.
Sanjiv Goenka Openly Praises Prince Yadav
After the selection news broke, Sanjiv Goenka posted a heartfelt message on social media platform X.
“Delighted to see Prince Yadav selected in the Indian T20 squad for the England and Ireland series. Having watched him closely this season with LSG, I know how much hard work has gone into earning this opportunity. A well-deserved reward for his perseverance and belief. Congratulations, Prince. Wishing you the very best in India colours," Goenka wrote.
His words show the strong faith the LSG camp has in the young pacer who finished with strong figures in IPL 2026.
Why Prince is a Good Option For India?
Prince Yadav offers India a genuine hit-the-deck fast bowler who troubles top batters with uncomfortable lengths and high pace.
He specializes in a hard length that lands between a full delivery and a short ball. This creates hesitation in batters. In IPL 2026, he bowled Virat Kohli for a duck with a 140.4 kmph inswinger using exactly that length.
He does not fear big names. On his IPL debut, he dismissed Travis Head. In his domestic T20 debut, he took the wickets of Nitish Rana and Sameer Rizvi.
Yadav And His Solid White-Ball Track Record
In domestic T20 cricket, he has claimed 27 wickets at an average of 34.33 and an economy rate of 8.90, including 13 wickets in the Delhi Premier League.
His List A record is even more impressive, with 26 wickets at an average of 20.73 and an economy of 5.17, finishing as Delhi’s leading wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Prince Yadav has also made a strong impact in the IPL across the 2025 and 2026 seasons, taking 19 wickets at an average of 36.00 and an economy rate of 9.14, with 16 of those wickets coming during the 2026 campaign.
Yadav’s ability to bowl with the new ball and deliver accurate yorkers at the death makes him a flexible option in limited-overs cricket. Especially with Jasprit Bumrah busy managing his workload, Yadav’s journey, skills, and temperament point to a bright future in India colours.
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