As MI was aiming for a 204-run goal, Tilak Varma made the intriguing decision to retire out in the match’s penultimate over. Tilak Varma left the pitch as Mitchell Santner charged into the middle, and Mumbai needed 24 runs to win off the final seven balls. With five wickets in the bank, the New Zealand all-rounder had 22 runs left to get off the final six balls after taking a couple of runs off the final ball of the 19th over.
At the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Friday, April 4, the Mumbai Indians (MI) lost to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by a heartbreaking 12-run margin in their most recent Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) match.
Hardik Pandya blasted Avesh Khan deep extra cover with elan, causing him to give up a six off the opening delivery. But under duress, the right-arm pacer displayed steely grit and gave up just three runs off the final five balls. LSG won their second game of the season thanks to an incredible final-minute bowling unit performance.
One of the main talking points from the encounter, though, has been Tilak Varma retirement.
The southpaw gave up 25 runs off 23 balls in an innings where he was unable to locate his timing. The decision to bench a talented and established batsman in favour of a young player who is more of a bowling all-rounder was disputed by some experts. Tilak might have changed the outcome in his favour with only one boundary. Others contended that MI had to make the difficult decision since their time was running out.
In the IPL, Tilak Varma became just the fourth batter to be retired. Sai Sudharsan, Atharva Taide, and Ravichandran Ashwin are the other players that had retired from the lucrative tournament in earlier iterations.
Out in the IPL, retired:
LSG vs. R Ashwin, Wankhede, 2022
Dharamshala, 2023: Atharva Taide vs. DC
MI versus. Sai Sudharsan, Ahmedabad, 2023
LSG vs. Tilak Varma, Lucknow, 2025
MI captain Hardik gave an explanation of the choice following the loss. “Batters have days when nothing goes their way,” he added. The Baroda all-rounder added that the squad considered replacing Tilak with a fresh hitter because they needed some hits.
“We required some hits. In cricket, there are days like that. In an interview with the official broadcaster, the 31-year-old stated, “When you try but it doesn’t come off.”
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