The defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru fresh off their IPL title, just walked straight into a firestorm. They decided to keep fast bowler Yash Dayal for the 2026 season even though he’s facing two criminal cases, including rape and sexual abuse. RCB’s management handed him a Rs 5 crore contract, and people haven’t stopped talking about it since the retention deadline passed on November 15. And not in a good way.
Yash Dayal’s Legal Troubles
Dayal’s problems started earlier in 2025 when a woman from Ghaziabad filed an FIR. She accused him of sexually and financially exploiting her, said he promised marriage, turned violent when she pushed back, and strung her along for months. Police booked him under Section 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which covers sex through deception.
But the second case is even more disturbing. This time, a woman from Jaipur accused Dayal of raping her repeatedly over two years. She says it started when she was just 17. According to her, he dangled her cricketing dreams in front of her and assaulted her during IPL stays. Because she was a minor, the case falls under the POCSO Act. That makes the allegations especially grim.
Dayal got temporary protection from arrest in the Ghaziabad case, thanks to the Allahabad High Court, but both investigations are still ongoing. Meanwhile, he’s been banned from playing in Uttar Pradesh’s domestic T20 league. Honestly, his cricket career is hanging by a thread at this point.
Why Would RCB Still Keep Him?
Everyone’s asking the same thing: Why did RCB stick with him? With no rule forcing them to act while a case is ongoing, the team could’ve walked away. Instead, they held onto Dayal.
Insiders think maybe the franchise is crossing its fingers he’ll clear his name and eventually come back. But let’s be real, he hasn’t played since the 2025 IPL final and skipped all domestic matches because of these allegations. The decision just doesn’t add up for a lot of people.
Bigger picture, it’s got folks wondering if Indian cricket teams need to take a harder line on ethics. Especially when the charges are this serious and involve POCSO.
Fans Aren’t Letting This Go
The backlash online? It’s been relentless. People are calling RCB “shameless” and “tone-deaf,” furious that they kept a player even though his state team dropped.
One fan just said it straight: “What a shameless franchise.”
Someone else wrote, “Yash Dayal has a POCSO case and multiple allegations. UP dropped him but RCB retained him. Shame on RCB.”
This whole episode shows how raw and serious these accusations feel for fans. The move has left a stain on a team that, not long ago, was celebrating a historic IPL win.
