Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have started their IPL 2026 pre-season camp from February 10 and the absence of their left-arm fast bowler Yash Dayal has caught everyone’s attention. RCB had retained Yash Dayal for ₹5 crore last year, but his place in the team is highly doubtful at the moment.
Yash Dayal missing from the start of RCB’s IPL 2026 camp
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s director of cricket Mo Bobat, head coach Andy Flower and mentor Dinesh Karthik are overseeing the team’s pre-season camp. Most of the domestic players are taking part in the camp, but Dayal was nowhere to be seen.
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The defending champions have shared several pictures from the pre-season camp on their social media handles, but the Uttar Pradesh pacer was not seen in any of them. Now, an RCB fan page revealed that Dayal was not invited to this camp.
No Yash Dayal in RCB pre-season camp for IPL 2026 pic.twitter.com/W5VCasBSrl
– RCBIAN Official (@RcbianOfficial) 10 February 2026
– Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) 10 February 2026
Serious legal matters halted Dayal’s career
Dayal is currently dealing with serious legal matters and this has put his career on hold. He is involved in two separate criminal cases with major charges. One case involves a woman who has accused him of cheating on her emotionally and financially during an almost five-year-long relationship.
The woman has claimed that the RCB bowler had promised to marry her but did not keep his word. A case was registered under section 69 of the Indian Judicial Code. However, the Allahabad High Court stayed his arrest saying there were doubts over how credible the complaint was.
There is another serious matter in Jaipur. A 17-year-old girl has accused Dayal of sexual harassment between 2023 and 2024. She has alleged that he misled her by offering help in her cricket journey. Because the complaint involves a minor, charges have been filed under the POCSO Act.
However, the Rajasthan High Court had last month granted anticipatory bail to Dayal in the Jaipur case. At present, both cases are still active and the investigation is ongoing.
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Ban from UP League, RCB eyes replacement
Given that the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) had already banned him from playing in the UP T20 league. He has not played any professional match since RCB won the IPL trophy last year.
With so much uncertainty, RCB is reportedly looking at other options. The team management is reportedly looking at bringing in experienced fast bowler Umesh Yadav in case Dayal is unavailable for IPL 2026.
He has also included fast bowler Mangesh Yadav in his team as a backup. Now, Dayal’s absence from the Royal Challengers Bangalore camp has raised doubts over his availability for the next season due to the ongoing investigation in UP and Rajasthan.
Dayal’s career in numbers
Talking about his career, Dayal took 41 wickets in 43 matches, in which his best performance was 3 wickets for 20 runs. In T20 cricket, he has 66 wickets in 71 matches. In first-class matches, Dayal took 84 wickets at an average of 28.79. The fast bowler has also taken 36 wickets in 23 List A games.
