Why does Yash Dayal remain under contract with RCB despite being out of IPL 2026?

Yash Dayal will miss IPL 2026 due to personal reasons.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will aim to defend their title in the Indian Premier League 2026. They will play the tournament opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 28 at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Just a few days ahead of the tournament, RCB pacer Yash Dayal has opted out of the tournament. The left-arm pacer will not participate in the league due to personal reasons.

RCB bought Dayal for INR 5 crore in the IPL 2024 auction. In IPL 2025, he played a key role in the team’s journey to their maiden title, picking 13 wickets in 15 games.

However, just after the tournament, Dayal was caught in a controversy due to allegations of sexual exploitation in two separate cases. Although the Rajasthan High Court granted him protection from arrest in January 2026, he has to report to the investigating officer in the matter.

Notably, his retention by RCB last year despite such cases became a topic of much discussion in the Indian cricket fraternity. Many fans also slammed the franchise for the move. Dayal was not seen in the RCB camp ahead of the tournament, and his absence raised suspicion about his participation in IPL 2026.

Mo Bobat reveals Yash Dayal remains under contract

Finally, RCB’s director of cricket, Mo Bobat, confirmed that the Indian pacer will not play in the IPL 2026 due to his personal situation. However, despite not taking part in the tournament, he remains under contract.

“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,” Mo Bobat told reporters in a press conference.

“We wanted to retain him, and he remains under contract and will continue in the short term to remain under contract. 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,” 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,” he further said.

Since Dayal is still part of the RCB squad, they cannot replace him in the tournament. Last month, the 28-year-old got married to social media influencer Shweta Pundir in a private ceremony in Noida.

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