 "Yash Dayal celebrates after taking a wicket in IPL 2025. Image: Reuters")
The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) has banned fast bowler Yash Dayal from playing in the UP T20 League after he was accused of sexual harassment and rape. The pacer, who plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), was accused of sexual harassment by a woman in June this year, days after his team won its maiden IPL title.
UPCA bans Yash Dayal from T20 league
In another case, Dayal has been accused of raping a minor in Jaipur in 2023. He is currently under serious trouble and could even face arrest. Dayal was set to play for Gorakhpur Lions in the UP T20 League and was bought for Rs 7 lakh in the auction. However, the UPCA decided to ban him in the wake of recent controversies.
The first case against him is in Ghaziabad, where he has been accused of sexual exploitation under the pretext of marriage. The Allahabad High Court has given him protection from arrest in this case. However, in Jaipur, another FIR has been filed under the POCSO Act and BNS, as the victim was a minor when the alleged incidents began. The Rajasthan High Court has not given him protection in this case, and his next hearing is on August 22.
According to police, the girl has accused Dayal of repeatedly raping her for two years, starting when she was just 17. She said he called her to a hotel during an IPL match in Jaipur on the pretext of providing cricketing advice, and then assaulted her. He also allegedly made false promises about her cricket career. Dayal could be sentenced to a minimum jail term of 10 years if found guilty.
“It is alleged that around two years ago, when the complainant was a minor, he raped her on multiple occasions after offering to help build her cricket career. This year, he contacted her again when he was in Jaipur on IPL duty, called her to his hotel, and allegedly raped her there,” SHO Anil Kumar Jaiman of Sanganer Sadar police station had said about the recent case.