'How can I not help': Virat Kohli opens up on helping Prince Yadav dismiss him, says he wants youngsters to grow

Virat Kohli has admitted that the advice he gave to Prince Yadav helped the Lucknow Super Giants pacer dismiss him during an IPL 2026 match earlier this season.

Prince had bowled Kohli for a two-ball duck during Lucknow Super Giants’s nine-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The ball came back in sharply from a good length and beat Kohli.

After that match, Prince had said the wicket came from advice Kohli himself had given him after an earlier meeting between the two teams.

"After the last match, I was talking to him, and he told me that if the ball is doing something from a length, don’t leave it. So, I did that, and got the result," Prince told the broadcasters.

Speaking on the RCB Podcast, Kohli confirmed the conversation and said senior players should help younger cricketers improve.

"Yeah, he bowled a great ball to me, and I told him to bowl in those areas. It is fine," Kohli opined.

Kohli said he got to know Prince during the Vijay Hazare Trophy and often shared inputs with him.

"I went and played Vijay Hazare [Trophy]. I didn’t know Prince at all. He is such a sweet guy, and he is so funny. I got very close to him, and he opened up very nicely to me. I was telling him, even through those Vijay Hazare Trophy games what to do and where to bowl. You have to share experience. You are not going to be here forever. If people have the opportunity to learn and get better in their careers, eventually they play for India and the standard of cricket remains high," he added.

Kohli also revealed that he had spoken to Mohammed Siraj before RCB’s IPL match against Gujarat Titans this season.

"Before playing Gujarat [Titans] in Bengaluru, I spoke to Siraj on the boundary. I told him my observations—how I saw him run in and how it was different from before. He spoke to me about rhythm. And we are playing them two days later... I should be able to play his best version. I want him to be at his best so I can compete with him. I am ready for everyone’s best version. If someone is struggling, it is an opportunity for me to help. That is how I look at it," Kohli explained.

The former India captain also spoke about helping players from rival IPL teams, saying the bigger picture is Indian cricket.

Referring to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kohli said: "You look at my situation. If Yashasvi Jaiswal reaches out to me before we have to play Rajasthan Royals, right? He’s probably looked up to me for a long period of time. Now I’m thinking, ‘He needs help’. Even though he’s going to play against us, it’s one game. But if he plays well for the whole season, eventually he’s going to play for India. So how can I not help him? He might score against us tomorrow or the day after. It’s okay," Kohli said during an appearance on the RCB Podcast.

"Despite Jaiswal scoring, we should find a way to win. Whatever it is, he might or might not. I’m not saying he would. There’s a possibility he might. So, I naturally can’t go into a space where I say, ‘He needs the help. Do it now.’ He’s going to practice two hours later. He’s probably called me on the way to the game once. So, I’m thinking it’ll help him in a way it can improve his game. He can score some runs, he can have a great season, it can open up things for him."