'Prince' Of Najafgarh: Chucking Delhi Police Constables' Exam To Live IPL Dream
Prince Yadav was acquired by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 30 lakh at the 2025 IPL mega auction
A few years back, Najafgarh-based Railway Protection Force ASI Ram Niwas Yadav was extremely worried about the future of his youngest son, Prince, who was only interested in bowling yorkers at tennis-ball tournaments. However, the youngster was unruffled and told his father straight up, "Papa, aap mera chinta karna chhod dijiye. Main apne se kuch kar loonga" (Dad, stop worrying about me. I'll manage something on my own).
Cut to 2026, and the seemingly nonchalant boy has managed to make good on the promise. The Lucknow Super Giants swing sensation has already breached the defences of experienced India internationals such as Axar Patel and Ishan Kishan in successive IPL games.
"Any father would be worried about the future of his kids, and so was I. Till the age of 18, he had not even bowled once with the leather ball. I literally forced him to appear for the Delhi Police Constables' Exam, and he was fit enough to clear the physical round.
"But he wasn't well prepared for the written test because his mind was elsewhere," recalled Ram Niwas.
But like most doting fathers, he had no other option but to back his audacious boy.
"Bete ki zid hai aur humein poori karni thi. Ek ASI ki salary mein aur kitna hi ho pata hai (It was his passion, so I had to believe in him. But how much can you really manage on an ASI's salary?). But I am happy that I allowed him to fly on his own," said Ram Niwas, who now has people from nearby Kheda Dabar village in Najafgarh's Dariyapur thronging his house thanks to Prince's IPL exploits.
"After Ishan Kishan's dismissal (LSG vs SRH game), a lot of our neighbours came and told me, 'Usne iss dehat ka naam roshan kar diya' (He has brought fame to this rural area).
"Pehle humare is ilaake ko log isliye jaante the kyunki poorv President sahiba Pratibha Patil Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Ayurvedic Sansthan ke udghatan pe aayi thi (2012). Ab cricket ke liye famous ho gaya (Earlier, people knew us because of a visit by former President Pratibha Patil. Now it is famous for cricket)," the pride in Ram Niwas' voice was unmissable.
According to Ram Niwas, Prince's first and only coach till date, Amit Vashistha, and former India U-19 World Cup-winning pacer Pradeep Sangwan, played the biggest roles in shaping Prince.
"I can't thank Amit sir enough. He saw him playing in a tennis-ball tournament and asked Prince to join his academy in Najafgarh. Pradeep ji (Sangwan) was also Amit sir's student, and he helped him with fitness," he said.
There was a time when Prince would tie a sandbag on his back and run through paddy fields to improve his upper-body fitness.
"Pradeep guided him a lot, and Amit sir taught him technique. And how can I forget the DPL (Delhi Premier League) and the New Delhi team? Had the DPL not been there, I don't think my son's progress would have been this quick. So I am grateful to the DDCA as well, and also Vijay Dahiya sir," said Ram Niwas.
When PTI contacted the reticent Vashistha, who has been running the Sporting Cricket Club of Najafgarh for years, he spoke about Prince's inherent skill and ability to work hard.
"He could bowl yorkers and even swing the tennis ball at a decent clip. When I saw him, I told his friends to ask him to contact me. He was already 18 back then, and there was very little time to quickly make the grade, unlike those who come to me at 13 or 14.
"One thing that helped was that his basics were strong. He could also impart backspin on the ball and had good arm speed - traits essential for swing bowling," said Vashistha, who has also coached the likes of Lalit Yadav (Delhi all-rounder) and Railways' Himanshu Sangwan (the last man to dismiss Virat Kohli in First-Class cricket), to name a few.
Vashistha feels that Prince's ability to work hard helps him stand out.
"Aap Delhi ki garmi mein usse do ghante bowling karwao. Thakega nahi aur hamesha instructions follow karega. His fitness has improved after working with Pradeep, and obviously now, when you get modern amenities while playing the Ranji Trophy or for LSG, you can only improve. He worked with Zaheer Khan sir and now with Bharat Arun sir. The sky is the limit," said the coach.
In fact, national selectors wanted Prince to play one T20 World Cup warm-up game for India A, but a knee injury left him unavailable. This came after a brilliant Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi, where he took 18 wickets in eight games, including three-wicket hauls in four matches.
BCCI 'ban' during age-group cricket
Prince did have a difficult two-year period during the COVID-19 lockdown when he was among multiple Delhi cricketers who were banned for two years due to age-related discrepancies.
Father Ram Niwas described it as the most difficult phase. "I was very nervous and didn't know how he would handle the two-year ban. It's a lengthy period. But he just told me to relax, got gym equipment at home, and trained every day during those two years."
The coach looked at the episode a tad differently. "I believe that since a major part of the ban overlapped with the COVID-19 lockdown, he didn't miss much competitive cricket. Yes, he did miss out on playing Delhi U-23. But when the DPL happened, he was back on track."
The coach's dream, however, is to see Prince in India Whites, as swing is his main weapon. "If someone can swing the white ball with ease, he can work wonders with the red ball," said Vashistha.
Lucknow Super Giants