Left-arm pacer Yash Dayal thanked Virat Kohli for having his back in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dayal had a season equivalent to a nightmare while playing for the Gujarat Titans in 2023. With the Titans needing to defend 29 runs in their last over of a match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Dayal leaked five sixes in a row at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

At the end of the season, the Titans let him go, after which RCB roped him in for INR 5 core. Dayal said that he interacts with the youngsters and motivates them throughout.

“The biggest thing he (Kohli) said to me was that he will back me the whole season. He told me that I will not feel like I have come to a new place, and he backed me completely. So this was a huge boost up and he talks to the youngsters in such a very healthy way and he is nothing like what people talk about on TV. I don’t feel like that,” Dayal told Sports Tak.

Yash Dayal storms back in 2024

Dayal played a crucial role in RCB making their way through to the playoffs last season. In 14 matches, he picked up 15 wickets at an economy rate of 9.14. He was also the joint-highest wicket-taker for the Challengers along with Mohammed Siraj.

RCB had lost six matches in a row and were looking in all sorts of trouble as far as advancing to the next round is concerned.

But Dayal stood tall for them as Kohli’s men went on a six-match winning streak to sneak into the playoffs. Their campaign ended after losing to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator. Overall, in 56 T20s, Dayal has taken 53 wickets at an economy rate of 8.46.