Why isn't Prince Yadav playing the third T20I against Zimbabwe?

Prince Yadav has had a dream debut against Ireland, after his performance in the IPL 2026 grabbed headlines. Debuting as a young bowler for the Lucknow SuperGiants, Yadav ended as the highest wicket taker for his team and secured his national call-up soon in the Afghanistan ODI squad. Yadav has since played against Ireland, England and had been performing consistently in Zimbabwe until the third T20I.

According to a recent update shared by BCCI on their official X (formerly, Twitter) handle, it has been confirmed that Yadav had sustained a hamstring injury and was unavailable for selection for the series final game. Yadav had sustained a niggle in the 2nd ODI on 25 July 2026 at the Harare Sports Ground. “Prince Yadav was unavailable for selection in the third T20I due to a hamstring niggle which he sustained while bowling in the second T20I against Zimbabwe”, stated the post.

The third T20I which is being played on 26 July 2025 will be the final T20I match between the two countries until the next bilateral series. In Yadav’s absence, the selection committee had chosen Ashok Sharma to replace him. Sharma made his International debut against Zimbabwe on 23 July 2026 , after emerging as one of the prospects during IPL 2026 while he was playing for Gujarat Titans.

How did Prince Yadav get injured?

During the second T20I in the Harare Sports Ground, Yadav was bowling his second over (seventh over of the innings) against the Zimbabwe players, when he sustained an hamstring injury after pulling up midway through his bowling run-up. He immediately clutched his hamstring in visible discomfort due to an apparent muscle strain. The team physiotherapist attended to him on the field, but Prince was unable to continue and had to hobble off with assistance, leaving his over unfinished. Right before the injury, he had bowled a brilliant spell of 8 deliveries, giving away just 10 runs and taking 2 crucial wickets,including Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza.

The young player’s absence would not cost much for India as they have already secured the series victory after a drought of wins against England and Ireland. After suffering a series whitewash in Ireland and humiliating series defeat against England, the Men in Blue made a comeback against Zimbabwe. In the first T20I match, young Bihar player, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's half century in just 18 balls and Mayank Yadav’s crucial two wickets’ dismissal ended the winning drought for team India. In the second T20I on 25 July 2026, Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan’s half centuries and wickets by Abhishek Sharma and Varma led India to their second win, securing the series for them.