Mumbai Indians (MI) suffered their third defeat of the season, going down to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. A major talking point of the match was Tilak Varma’s innings, which turned out to be one of the key reasons behind the loss. The left-hander scored an unbeaten 25 off 23 balls before being retired out, becoming the first batter to do so this IPL season.
Considered one of India’s best T20I batters, Tilak was brought in as an impact player and walked out to bat after Naman Dhir’s dismissal in the ninth over. Despite being known for his ability to handle spin, he struggled to find his rhythm. He failed to rotate the strike consistently or find boundaries, which stalled MI’s momentum in the middle overs.
Though he was part of a 66-run stand with Suryakumar Yadav – who top-scored with a brilliant 67 – Tilak’s contribution was limited to just 17 runs at a strike rate of under 100. The bulk of the scoring came from Surya, while Tilak’s sluggish knock significantly dented the chase.
His innings not only disrupted the flow of the partnership but also left MI in a tough spot when Surya was eventually dismissed. With the momentum lost, the five-time champions found themselves virtually out of the contest.
Hardik explains the decision to retire out Tilak
“That was obvious, we needed some hits, in cricket sometimes one of those days come when you try but it doesn’t come off. The decision says itself why we did it (retire Tilak Varma out),” said Hardik Pandya in the post-match presentation.
The decision to retire out a struggling Tilak came too late to change the course of the game. With just five balls left in the penultimate over from Shardul Thakur, Tilak was replaced by Mitchell Santner, leaving MI to chase 24 runs off the final seven deliveries. The late tactical switch made little impact, as Avesh Khan held his nerve in the final over to defend 22 runs and seal the win for LSG.
This marked only the fourth instance of a batter being retired out in IPL history. Ravichandran Ashwin was the first, doing so while playing for Rajasthan Royals against LSG in 2022. In 2023, Punjab Kings retired out Atharva Taide against Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans used the same tactic with Sai Sudharsan against MI.