"I was told not to go on social media, but I ended up checking it" - Yash Dayal on bouncing back after conceding five sixes in a row in IPL 2023 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Yash Dayal has made a strong start to the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, with impactful spells against both the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS).

His spell of 1-23 off four overs played a huge role in RCB restricting PBKS to 176-6 in the first innings on Monday (March 25). Assigned to bowl the tough overs, Dayal only conceded 10 runs while bowling three overs in the powerplay. Returning to bowl the 17th over of the innings, the pacer claimed Sam Curran's wicket with a sharp bouncer.

Yash Dayal was roped in by RCB at the 2024 IPL mini-auction for a price of INR 5 crore. He had a promising start to his mainstream career with the Gujarat Titans (GT). However, it came to a standstill after he conceded five sixes in a row to Rinku Singh in a clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2023 IPL at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

He was absent from the proceedings for over a month before returning to play GT's final league stage contests. and was then released from the squad.

The pacer recently opened up on how he bounced back from the setback, which included a strong Vijay Hazare Trophy season and solid outings in the Ranji Trophy.

"To be honest, the problem began when the match was over and I left the ground. I was told not to go on social media, but I ended up checking it. Then I talked to my family. I saw what people think about what background I come from and playing cricket at this level," Dayal told Mohammed Siraj in a post-match interaction.

"I fell ill after 2-3 days of that incident , then I recovered from it. It is not like I am the first person to go through all of this, and I will not be the last as well. So, I focused on the process, tried to play as many matches as possible, and get into a zone where I can tackle it such situations," he added

Dayal has got the new ball to swing both ways, which is a valuable asset for any side. The left-arm pacer had a decent spell for RCB in their season-opening loss to CSK, with figures of 1-28 off three overs, accounting for Ruturaj Gaikwad's crucial wicket.

---

"Whenever I have watched the IPL I have followed two teams, one is CSK and the other one is RCB" - Yash Dayal

The 26-year-old made his IPL debut in the 2022 edition. Before that, he was just an ardent fan much like the majority of the people in the nation. During the interaction, he admitted that he had a special place for two popular franchises, CSK and the other one being his current team, RCB.

"I had seen and heard quite a lot about RCB's fan following. Right from my childhood, whenever I have watched the IPL, I have followed two teams, one is CSK and the other one is RCB. I did not know that I will get the chance to play for RCB, so now to feel the atmosphere firsthand and playing with the squad, it is like a dream," Dayal said.

Dayal will be next seen in action during RCB's contest against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday, March 29.