The lively pre-match interaction between Virat Kohli, Krunal Pandya, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the Ekana Stadium highlighted the warm, tight-knit culture within the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) camp. Far from feeling the pressure of an impending high-stakes clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the veteran trio used the warm-up session to share some deep laughs. While walking across the outfield, Kohli spotted Krunal Pandya. He flashing a massive grin and playfully lunged at him, raising his hands as if to throw a punch or aggressively throw a ball at point-blank range.

Krunal played along flawlessly. He ducked, flinched with comical exaggeration, and immediately walked up to Kohli to lock him in a warm handshake and a prolonged laugh. Bhuvneshwar Kumar joined the circle shortly after. The three veterans stood together near the pitch, joking and sharing inside stories from their decade-plus of playing together for the national team. Observers noted that this light-hearted vibe completely eased the squad’s tension, keeping the dugout loose before a high-pressure away game.

Prince Yadav dismisses Virat Kohli for duck after nine years

The historic dismissal of Virat Kohli by young pacer Prince Yadav during the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) match on 7 May 2026 shattered a remarkable nine-year streak and became a definitive flashpoint of the IPL 2026 season. The 24-year-old LSG speedster manufactured a textbook setup to outsmart one of world cricket's greatest batsmen in the second over of a high-pressure, rain-affected 209-run chase. Kohli was left visibly stunned on the pitch, while Prince erupted into a wild, airborne celebration. Former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu remarked on ESPNcricinfo that the ball was so perfect "no batsman in the world could play it.”

While Kohli has recorded occasional first-innings ducks over recent seasons, registering a zero while chasing a target is an exceedingly rare anomaly for the master chaser. This performance marked the first time in exactly nine years that Kohli failed to score in an IPL run-chase. The last occurrence took place in April 2017 during RCB's infamous 49 all-out collapse against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. Within minutes of clean-bowling the Indian icon, Prince's personal Instagram Profile faced a massive influx of toxic commentary from extreme fans. His comment count exploded from less than 100 to over 18,000, with many criticizing his passionate wicket celebration.