Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Hardik Pandya was elated after his team defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 25 and in the aftermath said that left-arm pacer Yash Dayal will take a few more days before returning to action.
Yash Dayal was shattered as he failed to defend 29 runs in the final over of KKR's 205-run chase. Rinku Singh made headlines in the big-ticket contest, scoring as many as 5 sixes in the last 5 deliveries of the match.
Ever since Yash has not managed to be part of the playing XI. He was not even picked on the substitute list, leading to speculation about his place in the side. This is despite the GT side backing the young pacer to come good.
Veteran pacer Mohit Sharma has taken Yash Dayal's place and managed to make a mark with his variations and accuracy for the Gujarat Titans.
When asked about Yash Dayal's absence, Hardik Pandya said the left-arm pacer lost weight due to illness after the KKR game.
"I can't confirm that. He fell ill and lost 7-8 kg after that match. There was a spread of viral infection during that period and also, due to the pressure he had faced, his condition is presently not good enough to take the field. Someone's loss is someone's gain at the end of the day. It is going to take some time before we see him on the field," Hardik said to Star Sports.
Dayal had been the star pacer for GT in their victorious IPL 2022 campaign, picking 11 wickets in 9 matches at an economy of just 6.15. Gujarat is at the 2nd spot of the IPL 2023 table after their 55-run win over 5-time champions Mumbai Indians.
