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Yash Dayal’s controversy timeline (AFP & Crex)
On Tuesday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru revealed the final verdict on Yash Dayal’s IPL 2026 availability. The announcement comes after days of fan speculation and multi-layered confusion, making Yash Dayal's IPL 2026 participation a talk of the town.
The defending champions, who are slated to start their campaign on March 28, will face Sunrisers Hyderabad at their home ground, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. However, the recent Yash Dayal news has again gone viral on the internet, drawing mixed reactions.
That being said, in this article, take a look at Yash Dayal’s controversy timeline that led to RCB taking a major decision on his participation in the IPL 2026.
1. July 2025: RCB pacer Yash Dayal accused of raping minor
The whole controversy started when RCB’s Yash Dayal was accused of sexual harassment allegations in Ghaziabad. The under-fire pacer further found himself in a fuss as he was charged with raping a minor in an FIR registered against him by the Jaipur Police.
FIR registered in Jaipur
Dayal, who was facing sexual exploitation charges in Ghaziabad, was also given protection from arrest by the Allahabad High Court under the pretext of marriage. But the Jaipur High Court had refused to grant him protection from arrest, due to the involvement of a minor in the case. The RCB star was not arrested, and his hearing on August 22 granted him anticipatory bail.
Also read: "Feeding Criminals": Fans Bash RCB As Rape Accused Yash Dayal Retains IPL Contract
"On 17 April, a girl who was also talking to Yash contacted her and shared proof of his affairs. She says Yash’s family knew about this but kept giving her hope of marriage," read the report. "Three other girls have contacted her and shared similar experiences. She says Yash used the same app on their phones to order household items. She found out that he stayed in a Lucknow hotel on 7 June and ordered objectionable items."
2. November 2025: Retained ahead of IPL 2026 auction
RCB won the trophy last season by defeating Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final, and Dayal was a crucial part of the team’s journey in their first-ever title. The left-arm pacer clinched 13 wickets in 15 games at an economy of 9.59 and an average of 36.15.
The defending champions have retained Dayal for INR 5 crore for the upcoming season. Notably, RCB’s decision to retain Dayal had sparked criticism when the retention list was announced before the auction.
RCB faced backlash for including rape-accused Dayal in poster with Virat Kohli
The IPL 2025 winners were already under fire for retaining the pacer. However, they further kept him on their roster despite pending abuse allegations against him.
3. Yash Dayal’s absence from domestic cricket
Since his last appearance for the IPL 2025 champions, the UP boy has been out of action and has not participated in any domestic tournament. Moreover, The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) had banned under-fire pacer Yash Dayal from featuring in the UP T20 League.
The 27-year-old was expected to play for Gorakhpur Lions in the UP T20 League and was purchased for ₹7 lakh. He had been one of the best pacers in the country lately, especially after helping RCB to the IPL 2025 title.
4. March 16, 2026: RCB’s Yash Dayal gets married secretly amid legal case
According to a report by Hindustan Times, the RCB fast bowler secretly got married in February 2026 to content creator Shweta Pundir. Their wedding took place on February 4 in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
Also read: RCB's Yash Dayal Gets Married Secretly, Wife ID Revealed Amid Serious Allegations
The ceremony was attended by only family members and close relatives. While the RCB pacer has not made any announcement about his marriage, Shweta shared a video of their wedding on Instagram.
The video went viral on social media, attracting the attention of many cricket fans. As a result, fans also shared photos from their wedding on social media.
5. March 24, 2026: RCB’s final verdict on Yash Dayal IPL 2026 participation
A senior official from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) recently confirmed that left-arm pacer Yash Dayal, who has multiple allegations of sexual assault and exploitation, will not participate in the Indian Premier League 2026. However, he remains under contract with the franchise.
RCB’s director of cricket, Mo Bobat, on Tuesday said that Dayal will not be joining the squad due to an ongoing ‘personal situation’.
“So, just to confirm that Yash will not be joining up with the squad. As you know, he is currently going through a personal situation, and just to clarify, we’ve been very supportive of Yash to date, and that’s reflected in our decision the retain him when we had the opportunity to either retain or release players,” said Mo Bobat.
Dayal's absence from the recent RCB training session raised eyebrows, especially since Virat Kohli was seen motivating his teammates before hitting the nets. The left-arm pacer was also missing from the graffiti on the team bus, further fueling speculation that he may have been dropped by the franchise.
Thus, the recent development finally clears the air around the rape-accused Yash Dayal’s IPL 2026 participation.
Also read: RCB Confirm Virat Kohli's Opening Partner For IPL 2026
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