Lucknow, April 5 (HS): In the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday, during the run chase against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Mumbai Indians took a shocking step. The team decided to retire Tilak Varma, who was at that time batting on 25 runs off 23 balls.

This incident occurred on the fifth ball of the 19th over, when Shardul Thakur was bowling and Mumbai needed 24 runs from 7 balls to win. Mitchell Santner was sent to the crease in place of Tilak. However, Mumbai was unable to win the match, and Avesh Khan saved 22 runs in the final over.

After the match, captain Hardik Pandya said, It was clear that we needed big shots, and Tilak wasn't in rhythm that day. There are days in cricket when you try your best, but things don't go in your favor. Our decision speaks for itself as to why we did that.

This is the fourth time in the IPL that a batsman has been retired out. Previously, in 2022, Ravichandran Ashwin of Rajasthan Royals took this step against Lucknow Super Giants in Mumbai. In 2023, Punjab Kings retired Atharva Taide out against Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala, while Gujarat Titans recalled Sai Sudharsan against Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad.

Mumbai Indians' decision is a topic of discussion, and various reactions regarding its strategy are being observed in the cricketing world.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar