Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s astonishing resurgence to make the IPL-17 play-offs may have sent their loyal fans into a frenzy, but even in the din of a manic Saturday night, the stirring comeback of a young pacer wasn’t lost on anyone.
Yash Dayal, a promising left-arm pacer from Uttar Pradesh, was tasked with a not-so-difficult job of defending 28 runs in the final over against Kolkata Knight Riders. The then Gujarat Titans pacer started off well, conceding a single off the first ball but five deliveries later the now 26-year-old was turned into an instant discard following the mayhem that unfolded at the Narendra Modi Stadium on April 9, 2023.
The dangerous Rinku Singh, eyeing his own shot at fame, smashed five sixes in a row as Dayal, in disbelief at the turn of events, covered his eyes with a towel in embarrassment before being consoled by his team-mates. Social media was not kind enough as trolls took vicarious pleasure at his fall and Gujarat Titans eventually benched him for a month before releasing him.
Now, with Royal Challengers, the soft-spoken Dayal was tasked with a similar responsibility of defending 17 runs in the final over against defending champions Chennai Super Kings. Unlike the game against KKR, this had massive implications. Although CSK had to get 35 runs to win the game, the five-time champions had to score only 17 runs to deny RCB a fourth play-offs spot on net run-rate.
The air was thick with anxiousness, and Dayal appeared a little nervous. It became evident when he erred massively, delivering a juicy full toss to MS Dhoni who smashed the first ball out of the ground. It seemed deja vu for Dayal and many began to question skipper Faf du Plessis decision to hand him the ball.
Given the might of the ageless Dhoni, especially after being carted out of the ground, most bowlers of even international repute would have cracked. But Dayal, despite history playing at the back of his mind, didn’t flinch. Following a word with Du Plessis, he regained composure to deliver a game-changing over filled with craftiness that turned him into an instant hero.
His second delivery too was in the slot but Dayal smartly took the pace off it. Dhoni, sensing the opportunity for another six, swung his bat a bit early to be caught in the deep. Fans at the stadium went ballistic while Dayal let out a loud cry. The job though was only half-done. 11 runs still had to defended off four balls. Dayal did that with aplomb, conceding just one run. The relief was evident as an emotional Dayal sprinted to the dug-out, unable to contain his joy at finally having earned redemption.
“After what happened to me last time (against KKR in 2023), there was nervousness,” admitted Dayal at the post-match press conference. “When I got hit off that first ball, I subconsciously went back to that place. But I have done well in the past, I have done well after that, so all that was running through my mind was to deliver a good ball. I didn’t want to look at the scoreboard or the result. I just wanted to bowl well. I was confident with my execution.”
Skipper Du Plessis, whom many have praised for sticking by underperforming players when RCB lost seven out of the eight opening games, was full of praise for Dayal for showing great character. “For me, I dedicate the Man of the Match to Yash Dayal. The way he bowled tonight was unbelievable. That pressure at the back end for a guy who is pretty new to the role, he deserves the MoM.
“I said pace off on this wicket is the best option. Trust your skills, you’ve been really good, and enjoy this. This is supposed to be what you train for.
So he tried to bowl the first one as a yorker, but the whole night the yorker wasn’t working, so told him to go back to his pace-off and he did that unbelievably well.”
Dayal will now be hoping to replicate that in the Eliminator come Wednesday.