Once banned for 2 years, Prince Yadav’s comeback tale:Father feared he’d be lost among big names, LSG pacer has taken 11 wickets

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fast bowler Prince Yadav is not a household name yet. But there was a time when his father, Ram Niwas Yadav, used to tell his wife, “You are spoiling Prince.” Today, the same son has turned his father’s fear into pride by taking wickets of legendary players in the IPL. In this IPL season, Prince is Lucknow’s top wicket-taker. He has taken 11 wickets in 6 matches. He has surpassed experienced bowlers like Mohammed Shami in the wicket-taking charts, for LSG. Prince was recently called up for the India-A team, but he could not play due to a knee injury. Father was scared seeing Lucknow’s squad According to the Indian Express, when Prince signed a contract with Lucknow Super Giants, his father Ram Niwas was nervous looking at the list of names. He told Prince, “Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, and Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun are also in the squad. How will you get a chance?” He feared that his son would not get an opportunity among such big players. Chose Cricket over government job Retired ASI Ram Niwas from the Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) wanted Prince to join the police or army. Prince had passed the physical examination for Delhi Police, but did not appear for the written exam. At the age of 18, Prince clearly told his father, “If I bowl at a speed of 145-150, who will stop me?” The struggle and journey from village to IPL Prince hails from Daryapur Khurd village in Delhi, where there was neither a cricket academy nor anyone in his family who pursued sports as a career. He used to travel 3 hours daily to north-west Delhi for training. His mother, Santosh, supported him in this struggle and kept encouraging him despite his father’s displeasure. 2-Year ban and fear of career ending In 2019, Prince’s career came to a halt when the BCCI imposed a 2-year ban on him for allegedly faking his age for Delhi Under-19. His father thought his playing days were over, but after the lockdown, He made a comeback as a net bowler in 2023. DPL changed his fortune, bought for 30 Lakhs The turning point in Prince’s career was the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2024. Playing for Purani Delhi-6, he took the tournament’s first hat-trick and claimed 13 wickets. Based on this performance, Lucknow Super Giants bought him for 30 lakh rupees in the November auction.