“It wasn’t my personal decision” — Yash Dayal breaks silence on IPL 2026 RCB snub for the first time

When the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won their very first trophy of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2025, their left-arm pacer, Yash Dayal, played a key role with the ball, especially in the death overs. However, he wasn’t part of the 2026 season for the franchise and broke the silence for the very first time on his omission.

The Rajat Patidar-led side continued the same dominance from the previous edition and ended the IPL 2026 league stage as the table topper with nine victories in 14 clashes at a net run rate of +0.783. They will face the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the first qualifier of the event. 

"I was ready to play" — What Yash Dayal actually said about being left out of RCB's IPL 2026 squad

Playing the event since the 2022 season, Yash Dayal faced a major setback when he was smashed for five sixes in the last over during the 2023 edition by Rinku Singh. But RCB took a punt and included him in the squad as he repaid the faith with 15 wickets in 14 innings and continued it with 13 wickets in 15 innings.

The left-arm pacer stated that he was happy that the franchise didn’t release him from the squad, and he was happy that RCB considered him an integral part of the side.

“That's my team, and the main thing is that they didn't remove me from the team. They retained me and didn't announce my replacement as well. They think that I am an important part of the team.” The Uttar Pradesh bowler expressed in a recent interview.

“It wasn't my personal decision to opt out of the season. The decision was taken by the authorities, so I don't know why RCB didn't play me. But now I don't want to talk about this controversy anymore.” He added.

Sexual assault allegations, POCSO case & a bail rejection — The real reason Yash Dayal missed IPL 2026

In 2025, a major controversy grew as Dayal faced two severe legal cases involving the sexual exploitation and the rape of a minor. In July 2025, a woman filed an FIR against him in Ghaziabad, accusing the player of sexually and financially exploiting her.

The India pacer was booked under the Minor and POSCO charges, as a second FIR was recorded against the pacer in Jaipur. The woman claimed that the bowler assaulted her in 2023, and in December 2025, the Jaipur special POSCO court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.

See Also: RCB’s Reputation Questioned After Retaining Accused Pacer Yash Dayal Ahead of IPL 2026 Auctions

That was the reason why RCB decided not to include him in the squad during the ongoing season.

RCB head into Qualifier 1 vs Gujarat Titans Tonight in Dharamsala — Can they defend the title without Dayal?

The first qualifier between RCB and the Gujarat Titans will take place on May 26. The game will happen at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) in Dharamsala.

In the previous meeting between the two sides earlier in the competition, Bengaluru and Gujarat squared off in their home games. The winner of the qualifier will make it into the final, while the loser will head to New Chandigarh for the second qualifier.

See Also: Yash Dayal to miss T20 league due to recent allegations of sexual harrashment

If Bengaluru wins the title, they will become only the third franchise, after the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), to win back-to-back trophies of the league.