'Opting out of IPL 2026 wasn't my personal decision, it was RCB's' - Yash Dayal breaks silence on his absence with stunning claims

Yash Dayal has finally decided to break his silence regarding his absence in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 ahead of his team, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) Qualifier 1 encounter against the Gujarat Titans in Dharamsala on Tuesday, May 26.

Yash Dayal is facing serious legal scrutiny following multiple allegations of sexual assault and exploitation in separate cases filed in Jaipur and Ghaziabad. He played a key role for RCB in their maiden IPL-winning campaign last year.

However, before IPL 2026, RCB's Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, said that Dayal would be missing the campaign, and the team management has been very supportive of him during his tough times. The talented pacer recently contradicted the statement, saying that it was the management's decision not to include him in the squad. He explained how difficult it feels for him to watch his teammates playing while he is watching from the sidelines.

"Obviously, if you are sitting outside. When I watch them on television, sometimes I just get up. But then it is my team, and they haven't removed me. They kept me on the retain list and didn't get me a replacement. They probably think that I am an important part,” Dayal said.

“The other thing is that my opting out of this season wasn't my personal decision. The statement could be controversial, but the decision is always made by the authority. I don't know what was the reason was behind RCB's decision. I miss them a lot. I don't know if the team misses me, the fans will say that," Dayal added.

Bobat said ahead of the season that Dayal remains a contracted player of the defending champions despite not playing in IPL 2026. He cited this as an example of how supportive the franchise has been of the 28-year-old.

"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," Bobat told the media during a press conference.

"We wanted to retain him, and he remains under contract and will continue in the short term to remain under contract," he added.

I have been in conversations with the management: Dayal

Dayal, however, revealed that he has been having discussions with the management and the coaching staff, including batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik. He asserted that there has been no communication gap between him and the management.

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"I have been in conversations with the management. I have spoken to the director, and with the coach too, and also Dinesh Karthik. We communicate in intervals, and the connection hasn't broken. There is no communication gap. Everything is clear and sorted," Dayal said.