Overview
- Dayal said on the Talk with Manvendra podcast Monday that missing IPL 2026 “wasn’t my personal decision” and that he remains in regular contact with RCB management, including Mo Bobat and Dinesh Karthik.
- RCB retained Dayal on its contract list before the season, removed him from some promotional material and declined to name a replacement while saying the franchise supported him.
- Multiple criminal complaints are pending: one FIR in Ghaziabad alleges sexual exploitation under the pretext of marriage and a separate Jaipur FIR invokes the POCSO Act over alleged abuse of a minor.
- Courts have issued mixed rulings as investigations continue, with the Allahabad High Court granting interim protection from arrest and a Jaipur/POCSO court previously refusing anticipatory bail.
- The dispute ties to two wider questions for Indian cricket: how franchises balance contractual support for accused players with public accountability, and how inter-state POCSO and criminal probes affect a player’s career and team selection.