Why is Yash Dayal trending on social media?

Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer left-arm pacer Yash Dayal has found himself in the limelight for the wrong reason once again.

After making news for conceding five consecutive sixes in an over during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, he is now being severely trolled for a communal post he allegedly shared on his social media handle.

The now-deleted contentious Instagram post dealt with ‘Love Jihad’, a controversy, which has led to a massive debate in the country over the last year or so.

Following the massive backlash on social media, Dayal shared an Instagram story and issued an apology, claiming that the controversial post had been shared by mistake.

The 25-year-old’s post read:

“Guys apologies for the story. It was just posted by mistake. Plz don’t spread hate. Thank you. I have respect for each and every community and society.”

Despite his apology, Dayal is being criticized heavily on social media, with most users refusing to believe that the cricketer uploaded the controversial post mistakenly.

Later, the bowler released an official statement and clarified that he had not posted any of the two Insta stories, claiming that his account was compromised. His statement read:

“There were two stories posted on my Insta handle today – both of which weren’t done by me. I have reported the matter to authorities as I believe my account is being accessed by someone else and used for posting. I am trying to regain full control of my Instagram account.

“I respect all communities and the picture shared today does not reveal my true beliefs.”

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Who is Yash Dayal?

A 25-year-old left-arm pacer from Uttar Pradesh, Dayal made his first-class debut in the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy season. He made his T20 debut in the 2018-19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The pacer was purchased by Gujarat Titans (GT) at the IPL auction ahead of the 2022 season. He claimed 11 wickets in nine matches during IPL 2022 at an average of 26.91, playing his part as GT won the IPL in their maiden appearance in the T20 league.

He, however, succumbed under pressure in Gujarat Titans’ IPL 2023 league clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on April 9. Rinku Singh clobbered him for five consecutive sixes as KKR pulled off a near-miraculous win.

Dayal was immediately dropped from the team and did not make a comeback unit GT’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 15 in Ahmedabad. He bowled a decent spell, registering figures of 1/31 from four overs, claiming the wicket of SRH opener Abhishek Sharma.

The left-arm pacer has so far featured in 35 T20 matches in which he has claimed 31 wickets at an average of 29.38. He also has the experience of 17 first-class matches and 14 List-A games in which he has picked up 58 and 23 wickets, respectively.