On October 11, India announced their squad for the three-Test series against New Zealand starting October 16. One notable omission from the squad was left-arm pacer Yash Dayal. He received his maiden Test call-up for recently concluded two-Test series against Bangladesh but did not get to make his debut. For the second Test, he was released from the squad to play Irani Cup for Rest for India. Without playing a Test, he was not included in the squad against the Kiwis. This confirms that Dayal will remain an uncapped Indian player ahead of the deadline to announce list of retained players by the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises.
As an uncapped player, Dayal can be retained by the Bengaluru-based franchise for Rs 4 crore. Had Dayal made his Test debut before October 31, RCB would have to shell out Rs 11 crore to retain him which seemed unlikely.
Dayal’s IPL career so far
In the previous edition of the IPL, he bagged 15 wickets for 14 games and got crucial wickets for his team including Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) MS Dhoni in must-win last league game’s final over. He was roped in for Rs 5 crore by RCB after engaging in a bidding war with his former franchise Gujarat Titans (GT).
In the IPL 2022 mega auction, GT acquired Dayal’s services for Rs 3.2 crore. In his debut season, he bagged 11 wickets from nine games. In IPL 2023, his stocks dipped when he was hit for five sixes in the final over by Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) designated finisher Rinku Singh. He played just two matches in IPL 2023 as getting hit for five sixes had an impact on him.
RCB’s probable retentions
Apart from uncapped player Dayal, former captain Virat Kohli is a sure-shot retention. It is very unlikely that they will retain a 40-year-old Faf du Plessis even though he led Saint Lucia Kings to their maiden Carribean Premier League (CPL) title win earlier this month. Mohammed Siraj is another player who may find himself on the retention list on October 31. Even though Akash Deep’s stocks have risen exponentially, RCB may look to exercise their Right to Match (RTM) card for him.
