NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh pacer Yash Dayal has been included in the state’s Ranji Trophy camp after being away from competitive cricket for the last 16 months.“Yash Dayal is available for selection this year. He has given the trials and has done well in the practice matches. He will be included in the Ranji Trophy camp,” Ankit Chatterjee, Chief Executive Officer of the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), told TimesofIndia.com.The Uttar Pradesh Ranji Trophy camp will take place at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow from Friday (September 25).Earlier this year, 28-year-old Dayal sought a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the UPCA and was all set to play for Chhattisgarh in the 2026-27 domestic season. However, the move did not materialise as the UPCA gave him an assurance that he would get the chance to play for Uttar Pradesh again.Dayal has not played any competitive cricket since the IPL 2025 final. With Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dayal forged a three-pronged pace attack that played a crucial role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lifting their first IPL trophy. Dayal picked up 13 wickets that season. The left-arm seamer was then retained by RCB ahead of IPL 2026, but he did not join the squad and missed the entire season. RCB director of cricket Mo Bobat said at a press conference: “It wasn’t in Dayal’s or RCB’s best interests to pick him due to his personal situation.”In the UP T20 League, Dayal was retained by the Gorakhpur Lions, and it is learnt that the Allahabad-born cricketer had also started training with the franchise’s retained players. However, he was later not included in the 18-member squad.“He is looking in good shape. He has done exceptionally well in the trial matches and, if given the chance, he is ready to play,” Amit Pal, Dayal’s coach from his formative years, told this website.The 2026-27 Ranji Trophy will kick-start on October 11. Uttar Pradesh’s first match of the season is against Bihar, starting on October 11 at the newly built Rajgir International Stadium.
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