CHENNAI: Yash Dayal will not be featuring for Royal Challengers in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The pacer, accused of raping a minor as well as facing a charge of sexual exploitation, will, however, remain under contract. Curiously, Mo Bobat, called it Dayal's 'personal situation' while talking about it during a pre-tournament press conference in Bengaluru on Tuesday. He also said that 'we have been supportive of him'.
"Yash will not joining with the squad," Bobat, the director of cricket at the franchise, said. "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 opportunity to either retain or release players. "We wanted to retain him, and he remains under contract and will continue, you know, in the short term, foreseeable to remain under contract," he added.
Interestingly, Dayal has not been in touch even with the BCCI, at least unofficially. It's learned that when the Board tried to get in touch with him ahead of an 'A' series in the latter part of 2025, they couldn't trace him. It's also telling that he didn't feature for a single game for Uttar Pradesh, his domestic side.
Eyebrows were raised when the holders retained Dayal at the auction as he had already booked by then. When RCB began their final camp last week, the pacer was conspicuous by his absence. "We are communicating with him regularly. You know, I spoke to him earlier today as well. But it has been decided that it is not in his best interest, or in the franchise's best interest, for him to join up with us at this point.
"We won't be making any other further comments on that at this stage. But he obviously retains our support, he remains under contract, and we'll continue to speak to him as he goes through his personal situation," he explained.
Jersey No 11 for practice to remember stampede victims
During practice on all match days this season, the players will wear jersey No. 11 to remember the 11 fans who died in a stampede outside the Stadium during the side's victory celebrations last year. Following the stampede and the deaths, the arrangements — or lack thereof — were criticised. The Stadium was also blacklisted by the authorities before developmental works were done to ensure there would be no future incidents.
"The players will be wearing jersey No. 11 for the practice on game day," CEO Rajesh Menon said. "This is a tribute to our fans, who will always remain a part of our journey. We are also looking at having 11 permanent empty seats in Chinnaswamy Stadium. This is for the 11 fans who will be with us forever."