Mumbai Indians’ decision to retire Tilak Varma has sparked intense debate. Fans are questioning the call, made when Varma struggled with his batting. In the final overs, he failed to deliver big hits. Varma scored 25 runs off 23 balls. The result? Lucknow Super Giants won by 12 runs.
Initially, Mumbai Indians had a poor start, chasing 204 runs. Without Rohit Sharma, the team relied on Will Jacks and Ryan Rickelton, but they didn’t last long. Naman Dhir stepped up, scoring 46 runs off 24 balls, including three sixes and four fours. He partnered with Suryakumar Yadav for a 69-run stand.
Yadav scored 67 runs off 43 balls, with one six and nine fours. He and Varma added 66 runs, but Yadav couldn’t hit big shots. With 52 runs needed off 24 balls, Yadav was out in the 17th over. Hardik Pandya came in next. Varma was set, but couldn’t deliver big hits. He retired out in the 19th over, with seven balls left and 24 runs needed.
Mumbai Indians’ coaching staff made the call
Mumbai Indians’ head coach, Mahela Jayawardene, revealed that he made the decision to retire Varma. Jayawardene said, “Tilak just couldn’t get the runs. We waited until the end. He’d been on the field for a while, so he should’ve been able to hit those big shots. I thought new batsmen should come in; he was struggling.”
Reaction from the captain
Hardik Pandya discussed Varma’s retirement, saying, “We needed some hits, and he wasn’t getting them. Some days, you try but don’t succeed. Just play good cricket, that’s what I like to keep it simple. Make good decisions, be smart with bowling, take chances with batting. It’s a long tournament; you get some wins, and you get into a rhythm.”
Batting at 25 off 23 in the run chase, #TilakVarma retired himself out to make way for Mitchell Santner!
Only the 4th time a batter has retired out in the IPL!
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