Yash Dayal, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer, has been barred from participating in the upcoming UP T20 League following allegations of sexual harassment and rape. The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) has taken this decision in light of the serious legal challenges the 27-year-old cricketer is currently facing.

Dayal is implicated in two separate cases. One involves allegations of sexual exploitation in Ghaziabad, where a woman has accused him of abusing her after promising marriage during a five-year relationship. The first FIR against Dayal was registered on July 6 at the Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad under Section 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to sexual intercourse by deceitful means. While Dayal has received temporary protection from arrest from the Allahabad High Court in this case, he faces a more serious accusation in Jaipur.

In Jaipur, Dayal is accused of raping a minor. An FIR was registered at the Sanganer Police Station in Jaipur, accusing him of repeatedly raping the girl over two years while emotionally blackmailing her and luring her with promises of a cricketing career. The complaint alleges that the first incident occurred when the girl was 17, at a hotel in Sitapura, after Dayal allegedly offered to help her cricket career. This case has been filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, a stringent law against sexual crimes involving minors. The Rajasthan High Court has refused to grant Dayal relief from arrest, considering the sensitivity of the case involving a minor. The court observed that since the survivor was a minor when the alleged incident first took place, no protection from arrest could be considered at this stage.

Dayal was signed by the Gorakhpur Lions for ₹7 lakh at this year's UP T20 League auction. A UPCA official reportedly instructed the franchise not to field him until the matter is resolved. However, the owner of Gorakhpur Lions, Vishesh Gaur, has claimed that no such information has been communicated to the management by the UPCA.

Dayal's legal counsel has argued that the complainant in Ghaziabad and the complainant in Jaipur are in collusion and that a group is trying to blackmail Dayal by filing coordinated cases against him. Dayal had sought a stay of his arrest in the matter as well as quashing of the FIR registered against him. The court has called for the case diary from city police and listed the matter for further hearing on August 22.

The allegations have thrown Dayal's promising cricket career into turmoil. The UPCA's decision to bar him from the UP T20 League reflects the seriousness with which they are treating the allegations.