CHENNAI : 29 runs from 6 balls. That is what Kolkata Knight Riders needed when Gujarat Titans interim captain Rashid Khan handed Yash Dayal a ball during the league stage of the previous season of the Indian Premier League. Rest, as they say, is a history.
With 28 required from five balls, Rinku Singh went berserk to hit five consecutive sixes to secure the match that favoured Gujarat 99.55% on the win predictor. What Chris Morris called as "Stranger Things" of the game actually happened at the biggest cricket stadium in the world, and the 25-year-old UP bowler was at the receiving end of the heat.
After that, Dayal only played for Gujarat in one fixture, against Bengaluru, and he was released from the squad after the season. Even at the auction, when it came to him, the five sixes he conceded against Rinku dominated the talks. However, Bengaluru, hoping to overhaul their bowling attack saw something in the left-arm medium pacer.
Andy Flower, the head coach of the side, focused more on his potential than flaws even when he had a hard time bowling in death overs during the 2023 season. His potential for swing with the new ball and especially the wicket-taking caught the eyes of the RCB management. "As far as Yash Dayal is concerned, we saw some of his potential. I know he had a hard time at death occasionally, but we believe he has high potential and we are looking for great things from him," Flower told JioCinema after they signed Dayal at Rs 5 crore.
So Dayal was ready when it came to his debut at his new franchise home in front of some of the loudest fans in the competition. Sharing the new ball with experienced Mohammed Siraj, the plan was to not give any room to Punjab captain Shikhar Dhawan to free his arms. After four balls, where he either left it alone or found a fielder, Dhawan finally got off the mark against the bowler. Even when Siraj went for a few runs and eventually got the wicket of Jonny Bairstow, Dayal was focused on doing his job. It continued in his second over, as the Bengaluru bowler kept Dhawan in check, while incoming Prabhsimran Singh took his time to adjust.
Captain Faf du Plessis introduced Alzarri Joseph inside the powerplay and it looked like Dhawan found his mojo against the West Indian as the left-hander picked two boundaries from the over. Then Dayal came back for his third over. The swing Flower had mentioned at the auction came into action but Prabhsimran somehow managed to hit him for a boundary. A ball later, he bowled his best delivery of the match as Dhawan was bamboozled by the 137kph delivery that straightened a bit. After three overs, his figures read: 3-0-10-0. He was unlucky not to get any wickets in the first spell, but his brave performance did not let Punjab Kings get away with a few quick runs.
The 26-year-old came back for his final over at the death, that is when the demons of the past would have hit him the most. But one could see there was a clear plan to bowl wide yorkers against Sam Curran, who could have potentially run away with a few runs if given any chance. And the bowler stuck to his plans.
Despite getting hit for two boundaries and bowling two wides, he tried to execute his plans. Some athleticism from wicket-keeper Anuj Rawat finally gave Dayal the prized wicket of Curran that broke a partnership of 50 runs. After his spell of four overs, he had conceded 23 runs. Even when he could only take one wicket, his contribution, where he went for less than six runs per over was vital for Bengaluru to restrict PBKS to 176/6. During the chase, Virat Kohli (77), Dinesh Karthik (28 n.o) and Mahipal Lomror (17 n.o) took RCB across the line with four wickets in hand.With only two matches under his belt in IPL 2024, it is too early to say if Dayal has repaid the faith Bengaluru management had put in him. However, for now, one can confidently say, he has started exceptionally well.
Brief scores:
Punjab Kings 176/6 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 45; Mohammed Siraj 2/26, Yash Dayal 1/23) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 178/6 in 19.2 overs ( Kohli 77, Karthik 28 n.o).