Royal Challengers Bengaluru Rule Out Yash Dayal for IPL 2026 Amid Sexual Assault Allegations; Contract Still Intact
Royal Challengers Bengaluru director of cricket Mo Bobat has made it clear that Yash Dayal will not be part of the squad for the IPL 2026 season, even though the franchise has kept him under contract. Putting an end to speculation about his absence from pre-season training, Bobat stated, “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.” He emphasized that the franchise had deliberately chosen to keep Dayal, “We wanted to retain him, and he remains under contract and will continue in the short term to remain under contract.” Bobat also highlighted ongoing communication with the player while explaining the decision. “We are communicating with him regularly. I spoke to him earlier today as well, but it has been decided that it is not in his best interest or the franchise’s best interest for him to join up with us at this point.” Reassuring continued backing from the franchise, he added, “He retains our support, and he remains under contract, and we’ll continue to speak to him as he goes through his personal situation.” Dayal, who played a key role in RCB’s 2025 title-winning campaign with 13 wickets, has not played since the final. His absence is due to ongoing legal issues that have prevented him from competing in cricket. For RCB, this creates a significant gap in the bowling attack. His left-arm pace had added variety alongside experienced names like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and spin options such as Krunal Pandya. With Dayal unavailable and no option to sign a replacement due to his active contract, the team will now depend more heavily on players like Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Jacob Duffy, Romario Shepherd, and others. Despite the situation, RCB’s decision to retain Dayal indicates they are not cutting ties. His return to cricket will depend entirely on how his personal and legal matters unfold, while the team shifts focus to adjusting its strategy ahead of the IPL 2026 season, starting March 28. Dayal was booked under two significant criminal cases, referring to him as being involved in sexual exploitation. The initial FIR was registered at the Indirapuram Police Station, Ghaziabad, in July 2025. He was accused of physical and mental exploitation in a five-year-long relationship under the false promise of marriage. Followed by another allegation involving him sexually assaulting a teenager multiple times in 2023. The FIR was booked from Jaipur under the POCSO Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. This allegation included an incident during the IPL 2025. In the Ghaziabad case, the Allahabad High Court granted relief to Yash Dayal by staying his arrest. However, in the Jaipur case, a POCSO court denied his anticipatory bail plea in December 2025, citing the seriousness of the evidence and the ongoing investigation.
