Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pace bowler Yash Dayal did well in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) against both the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS). His spell of 1-23 in four overs played a key role in RCB restricting PBKS to 176-6 in the first innings on Monday (March 25). Notably, Yash Dayal was bought by RCB at the 2024 IPL mini-auction for a price of INR 5 crore.

However, he also had a good start with the Gujarat Titans (GT) but it came to a standstill after he conceded five sixes in a row to Rinku Singh in a clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2023 IPL at the Narendra Modi Stadium and eventually lost the game. Then he was absent from the games for over a month before returning to play GT’s final league stage games as well. And was then released from the squad as well.

“To be honest, the problem began when the match was over and I left the ground. I was told not to go on social media, but I ended up checking it. Then I talked to my family. I saw what people think about what background I come from and playing cricket at this level,” Dayal told Mohammed Siraj in a post-match interaction. “I fell ill after 2-3 days of that incident , then I recovered from it. It is not like I am the first person to go through all of this, and I will not be the last as well. So, I focused on the process, tried to play as many matches as possible, and get into a zone where I can tackle it such situations.”

“I had seen and heard quite a lot about RCB’s fan following. Right from my childhood, whenever I have watched the IPL, I have followed two teams, one is CSK and the other one is RCB. I did not know that I will get the chance to play for RCB, so now to feel the atmosphere firsthand and playing with the squad, it is like a dream,” Yash Dayal concluded.