Mumbai Indians’ Tactical Gamble: Tilak Varma Retired Out in Close Chase Against Lucknow Super Giants
In a surprising turn of events during the IPL 2025 match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on Friday, MI batter Tilak Varma was retired out in the penultimate over of a tense run chase. The decision, made with MI needing 24 runs off the final seven balls, has sparked considerable debate and discussion among fans and cricket experts alike.
Chasing a target of 204 set by LSG, MI found themselves in a tight spot despite a valiant effort, particularly from Suryakumar Yadav who scored a blistering 67 off 43 balls. Tilak Varma, who came in as an Impact Sub, had accumulated 25 runs off 23 balls but was visibly struggling to accelerate the scoring in the crucial final overs.
With the required run rate escalating, the MI management, spearheaded by head coach Mahela Jayawardene, made the bold call to retire out Tilak Varma and bring in fresh legs in the form of Mitchell Santner. Jayawardene explained the decision post-match, stating that it was a tactical move aimed at injecting some much-needed momentum into the innings.
“He just wanted to get going but he couldn’t,” Jayawardene said. “Waited till the last few overs, hoping that he would find his rhythm… but I just felt that at the end, I just needed someone fresh to go, and he was struggling. These things happen in cricket. Not nice to take him out but I had to do that, it was a tactical decision at that point.”
MI captain Hardik Pandya also supported the move, acknowledging that Tilak was finding it difficult to get the required boundaries. “It was obvious (on Tilak being retired out). We needed some hits, and he was not able to get them. Sometimes in cricket one of those days comes, when you really want to try but it does not happen, but the decision speaks for itself, why we did it,” Pandya stated.
However, the decision was met with criticism from several former cricketers and fans who questioned the logic of retiring out a set batter, even if he was struggling for fluency. Some argued that Tilak, having spent time at the crease, was still better placed to hit the big shots compared to a new batter coming in under pressure.
Ultimately, the tactical gamble did not pay off for MI as they fell short by 12 runs. While Santner remained unbeaten on 2 off 2 balls, he couldn’t provide the late fireworks needed to overhaul the target.
Tilak Varma’s retirement marked only the fourth instance of a batter being retired out in the history of the IPL, joining the likes of R Ashwin, Atharva Taide, and Sai Sudharsan.
Despite the loss, the decision to retire out Tilak Varma will undoubtedly remain a talking point, raising questions about the effectiveness and ethics of such tactical calls in high-pressure situations. Mumbai Indians will need to regroup quickly as they face Royal Challengers Bangalore in their next encounter on Monday, April 7th, hoping to bounce back from this setback. There have been no reports of any injury to Tilak Varma, suggesting the retirement was purely a tactical decision.
