Pacer Yash Dayal has finally opened up on missing the ongoing season of the IPL for the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, saying that he is still part of the squad despite his absence this year. Before the start of the season, RCB Director of Cricket Mo Bobat revealed that Dayal would not feature for the Bengaluru side this year due to a “personal situation.” However, the 28-year-old has differed from the explanation given by Bobat regarding his absence from the team this season.
Speaking on the Talk with Manvendra podcast, Dayal revealed that he misses the team and insisted that opting out of the ongoing season was not his decision.
“Obviously, if you are sitting outside. When I watch them on television, sometimes I just get up. But then it is my team, and they haven’t removed me. They kept me on the retain list and didn’t get me a replacement. They probably think that I am an important part. The other thing is that my opting out of this season wasn’t my personal decision. The statement could be controversial, but the decision is always made by the authority. I don’t know what was the reason was behind RCB’s decision. I miss them a lot. I don’t know if the team misses me, the fans will say that,” said Dayal.
Dayal added that he remains in regular contact with the RCB management, including team mentor Dinesh Karthik, despite his absence from the field this season.
“I have been in conversations with the management. I have spoken to the director, and with the coach too, and also Dinesh Karthik. We communicate in intervals, and the connection hasn’t broken. There is no communication gap. Everything is clear and sorted,” he added.
For context, Dayal’s absence is linked to ongoing legal proceedings that have prevented him from returning to competitive cricket.
The pacer faces allegations of sexual exploitation in one matter, alongside a separate case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The first FIR against 27-year-old Dayal, who plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL, was registered on July 6 at the Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad district under Section 69 (Sexual intercourse by employing deceitful means etc.) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Dayal has been accused of sexually exploiting a woman on the pretext of marriage.
Regarding the second instance, NDTV accessed the FIR report, which was registered against Dayal at Jaipur’s Sanganer Police Station for allegedly raping a girl over a period of two years while emotionally blackmailing her. It was revealed that Dayal lured her with promises of a cricketing career and invited her to a hotel in Sitapura, where the first sexual assault took place. The girl was only 17 when the abuse began, prompting the police to register the case under the POCSO Act.
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