‘RCB haven’t removed me, in touch with Dinesh Karthik’ – Rape-accused fast bowler Yash Dayal

Yash Dayal has returned to the cricket space after two months. The 28-year-old fast bowler sporadically appears in the headlines every once in a while, since he was accused of sexual assault by two women. Back in June 2025, just months after he was part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) trophy-winning campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Dayal’s former partner alleged that sexual exploitation her under the pretext of marriage.

Rape allegations against Yash Dayal

His former partner filed a case against him in Uttar Pradesh and even went to the state’s Chief Minister’s office. The situation worsened for Dayal when another woman accused him of sexual assault in July 2025. The second victim alleged he exploited her for around two-and-a-half years, starting when she was 17. Subsequently, Dayal was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), and his bail was rejected in Jaipur in December 2025.

11 months later, both of these cases continue. Dayal hasn’t been found guilty or cleared. Despite serious allegations, RCB has stuck with the left-arm fast bowler. Before the IPL 2026 season, the franchise retained him for INR 5 crore but decided that he shouldn’t play for them in the current circumstances. Many weren’t pleased with RCB for the decision, but it seems like the franchise doesn’t really care.

‘Sometimes the management call me’

In a recent interview, Dayal has claimed that the RCB were perhaps forced to bench him, and their decision not to release him means they are backing him. Furthermore, he added that RCB’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, and batting coach/mentor Dinesh Karthik are in constant touch with him. From the looks of it, RCB will once again retain him ahead of the IPL 2027 auction despite not playing any form of cricket since June 2025, when he was first accused.

“They haven’t removed me from the team, and they haven’t even announced a replacement because maybe they still see me as part of the squad. It wasn’t my personal decision to opt out of this season. The statement may become controversial, but decisions are always taken by the authorities… I miss it a lot and feel like I should be there,” Dayal said on the Talk with Manvendra podcast. “There is communication with the management. Sometimes they call me, sometimes I call them. I speak with the director (Mo Bobat), and I also stay in touch with DK (Dinesh Karthik) bhaiya,” he added.

The post ‘RCB haven’t removed me, in touch with Dinesh Karthik’ – Rape-accused fast bowler Yash Dayal appeared first on Inside Sport India.