Prince Yadav's IPL 2026 surge pushes him into the frame for an India ODI debut against Afghanistan
The right-armer was a punt at the auction and ended up the most productive Indian seamer in Lucknow Super Giants' XI. Sixteen IPL 2026 wickets at an average under nineteen, with the economy holding just over eight on pitches that have not been kind to fast bowling. Near the top of the Purple Cap table heading into the last week of the league stage.
The night against Royal Challengers Bengaluru is the one selectors keep returning to. Prince bowled Virat Kohli for nought, the eleventh bowler in IPL history to take that scalp and the first since Dhawal Kulkarni in 2016 to bowl Kohli for a duck. Three wickets in the match. An evening that turns a name on a list into a real conversation.
Why selectors are looking at him
With Harshit Rana still working his way back from injury and the team management openly weighing whether to rest Jasprit Bumrah after a long IPL, the seam cupboard has room. India's first-choice trio of Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh will not all start every leg of the tour, and the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy counts too. Prince took eighteen wickets in eight games for Delhi in that competition.
The profile fits. He is a hit-the-deck bowler who can shape it both ways, with a heavy yorker in the locker. India use that profile through the middle overs, where Hardik Pandya's allocation is not enough on its own.
The schedule he is bowling for
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed earlier this week that the selection committee meets on Tuesday, May 19, to lock in the ODI and Test squads. The ODI series runs from June 14 to 20 across Dharamsala, Lucknow and Chennai, with a single Test against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh from June 6 to 10.
A debut cap is not a guarantee. There are other dark-horse picks in the conversation. But the timing helps. Selectors tend to reward a player who finishes the IPL on a wicket-taking note, and Prince still has matches in front of him before the squad sheet goes up.
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