IPL 2025: RCB Receives Boost as BCCI Delays India Debut for ₹5 Crore Pacer, Allowing for a 20% Retention Pay Cut

New Delhi: The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) breathed a sigh of relief as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the squad for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand. This timely announcement was a crucial factor in finalizing the list of retained players for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. With the squad release, RCB can now make informed decisions on player retention, taking into account factors such as player availability, current form, and fitness for the upcoming IPL season.

The squad selection held no surprises, with Yash Dayal being the only omission from the team that secured a 2-0 victory over Bangladesh. Dayal, who did not get a chance to debut during that series, was included in Uttar Pradesh’s playing XI for their Ranji Trophy match against Bengal earlier in the day. This move signaled that he was not in India’s plans for the upcoming series against New Zealand.

Yash Dayal not being available for the Indian team would probably be good news for RCB as this way, he would stay uncapped till October 31st. Which would mean that the left-arm pacer would remain uncapped in the eyes of the 2025 season of Indian Premier League when the retention list is finalized by RCB and probably will make him a more strategic retention or acquisition option as he will be uncapped.

For those unfamiliar, the BCCI has set a rule requiring that at least one (and up to two) of the six retained players must be uncapped. An uncapped player—one who has not yet represented India—does not fall under the higher retention brackets of ₹18 crore, ₹14 crore, or ₹14 crore. Instead, such a player can be retained by their franchise for a more economical price of ₹4 crore. This rule provides franchises like the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) a cost-effective way to retain promising talent while balancing their overall budget for marquee players.

This would mean that the franchise gets to retain Yash Dayal at a 20% pay cut—retaining cost would come down to ₹4 crore. Having provided him a platform for a remarkable comeback after a challenging season with the Gujarat Titans (GT) and lower bids during the mega auction, RCB would be in a strong position to retain him on their roster. Given the support and platform RCB has accorded to him, Dayal would do well to look no further than this franchise and accept the offer for another year with it.

Dayal was one of the important factors in a turn of fortunes for the Bengaluru franchise in the 2024 season, taking 15 wickets in 14 matches. And then, of course, there was a glaring moment- or to say, a defiant moment- which that little star, Yash Dayal, made when he dismissed MS Dhoni in a late final over to ensure victory for RCB against Chennai Super Kings in a virtual quarter-final; so his accomplishments at these high-pressure moments reflected his worth to the team and made him an important figure to RCB’s successful campaign.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) lost as both of them-Nitish Reddy and Mayank Yadav-made their Indian debuts in the 1st T20I vs Bangladesh. That means this debut player status is going to directly impact their retention because they are going straight into the capped category now. Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, would hope Harshit Rana does not get a debut cap on Saturday when the third and final T20I is played as retaining him as an uncapped player will give them more flexibility in the side.