Yash Dayal has turned up at a training camp in Alur, in Karnataka, wearing the colours of a different state. The fast bowler, 28, is set to leave Uttar Pradesh and play for Chhattisgarh in the 2026-27 domestic season, according to a report on Sunday, July 26.
Cricinfo reported that Dayal will soon receive his no-objection certificate and has already joined Chhattisgarh’s pre-season camp. Born in Allahabad, he made his domestic debut for Uttar Pradesh in late 2018, played all three formats for them, and last turned out for the state in late 2024.
A career on hold
Dayal has not played a competitive match since the 2025 IPL ended in June last year. He took 13 wickets in 15 innings that season, including a tight spell in the final, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their first title.
Then came the legal trouble. He was charged over an allegation of assaulting a minor girl in 2023, and the complaint says she was 17 at the time of the first alleged incident. The FIR was filed under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which carries a minimum punishment of 10 years in prison. The legal proceedings are continuing.
RCB retained him but he never joined them before IPL 2026. Mo Bobat, the franchise’s director of cricket, later said it “wasn’t in Dayal’s or RCB’s best interests to pick him due to his personal situation.”
Closed doors at home
Things were no better in Uttar Pradesh. Gorakhpur Lions retained Dayal for the 2026 UP T20 League, and he started training with the other retained players. He was then left out of the 18-man squad. Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association officials declined to comment on why when approached.
Chhattisgarh now offers a fresh start, though the case against him has not gone away.
