Yash Dayal has finally broken his silence over his absence from the ongoing IPL 2026 season, publicly contradicting the explanation earlier offered by Royal Challengers Bengaluru Director of Cricket Mo Bobat. The left-arm pacer, who played a crucial role in RCB’s maiden IPL title-winning campaign in 2025, said that opting out of the tournament was not his personal decision.
Speaking on the Talk with Manvendra podcast, the 28-year-old revealed that the decision to stay away from IPL 2026 was taken by the authorities and not by him individually. Dayal also admitted that watching RCB matches from home has been emotionally challenging, adding that he misses being around the team and the dressing room atmosphere.
“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,” Dayal said.
“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,” Dayal added.
WHAT RCB HAD SAID ON YASH DAYAL?
Before the season began, Mo Bobat confirmed that Yash Dayal would miss the tournament, while reiterating that Royal Challengers Bengaluru continued to support the left-arm pacer and had retained him despite the circumstances. Bobat described the matter as personal and emphasised that Dayal remained under contract with the Bengaluru-based franchise.
“So, just to confirm that Yash will not be joining up with the squad. As you know, he is going through a personal situation currently, and just to clarify, we’ve been very supportive of Yash to date and that’s reflected in the fact that we retained him when we had the opportunity to either retain or release players.
“We wanted to retain him, and he remains under contract and will continue in the short term to remain under contract,” Bobat told the media during a press conference.
Dayal, in the meantime, revealed that he remains in regular contact with senior members of the setup, including batting coach Dinesh Karthik, adding that there has been no communication gap between them.
“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,” Dayal said.
YASH DAYAL FACING SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS
Yash Dayal is facing serious legal scrutiny following multiple allegations of sexual assault and exploitation in separate cases filed in Jaipur and Ghaziabad. One of the complaints, registered under the POCSO Act in Jaipur, alleges that Dayal sexually exploited a minor over a prolonged period by promising to help her build a cricket career. The complainant also accused him of emotional manipulation and intimidation.
In another case filed in Ghaziabad, Dayal has been accused of sexual exploitation under the pretext of marriage. On December 24, 2025, a special POCSO court in Jaipur rejected his anticipatory bail plea, citing the seriousness of the allegations and the need for caution in cases involving minors.
While Dayal’s legal team has denied the charges and termed the relationship consensual, prosecutors argued that consent is irrelevant in cases involving minors and said prima facie evidence supports the complaint.
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