In a significant legal development, a special POCSO court in Jaipur has turned down the anticipatory bail application of Indian cricketer Yash Dayal, the left-arm pacer who played a pivotal role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) maiden IPL title win in 2025. The decision, delivered by Justice Alka Bansal on December 24, 2025, highlighted the seriousness of the charges involving allegations of sexual assault on a minor.
The case stems from a complaint filed at Sanganer Sadar police station in Jaipur, where the survivor, who was underage at the time of the initial alleged incidents, accused Dayal of exploiting her aspirations in cricket. She claimed that the bowler enticed her with offers to advance her sporting ambitions, used emotional manipulation, and engaged in non-consensual physical relations multiple times over approximately two-and-a-half years. The encounters allegedly occurred at hotels in Jaipur and Kanpur.
Investigators have identified several pieces of potential evidence, including digital conversations, photographs, videos retrieved from the complainant’s device, telephone records, and documentation of hotel bookings. The elements are being examined under the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In his bail plea, Dayal strongly denied the claims, describing them as baseless and motivated by intentions to harass and financially exploit him. He portrayed himself as a dedicated professional athlete and asserted willingness to fully assist authorities in their probe. His counsel, advocate Kunal Jaiman, emphasised that any interactions with the complainant were limited to open, public settings and never private. The defence counsel further argued that the young woman had represented herself as an adult, sought monetary assistance for personal difficulties, and later escalated demands, suggesting the complaint was part of a broader extortion scheme.
On behalf of the prosecution, public advocate Rachna Maan countered that the accused had repeatedly initiated physical contact by dangling false career opportunities in cricket. She stressed that, irrespective of any perceived agreement, consent from a minor carries no validity under Indian law, particularly in POCSO matters.
The Jaipur case marks the second serious allegation against the Uttar Pradesh-born bowler this year. An earlier FIR in Ghaziabad’s Indirapuram police station, registered in July, involved allegations of sexual exploitation under deceitful pretenses, with the Allahabad High Court granting a stay on arrest proceedings there. The Jaipur complaint followed shortly afterwards, invoking stricter POCSO provisions due to the complainant’s minority status at the outset.
Dayal, 27, has been a prominent figure in domestic and IPL cricket. Retained by RCB ahead of the 2025 season, he delivered standout performances, including crucial spells that contributed to the franchise ending its long wait for an IPL trophy. With the anticipatory bail rejection, the bowler now faces the possibility of arrest as the investigation proceeds. He has not been picked by Uttar Pradesh for the domestic tournaments and was also absent in the UP T20 League earlier this year. This also raises questions as to why RCB retained the tainted cricketer despite the seriousness of the allegations ahead of the IPL 2026.
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