Tilak Varma & Devon Conway Retired Out:
In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, even well-established batsmen are walking off the field, choosing to retire out. During the match between Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians on April 4, Tilak Verma retired out.
On April 8th, in the face-off between Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings, Devon Conway opted to retire out, heading back to the pavilion. This raised eyebrows among cricket analysts, former players, and commentators. It further prompted a question: if a well-set batsman is replaced, can a new player guarantee faster scoring?
Devon Conway's Move to Retire Out
During the match against Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) player Devon Conway was retired out in the 18th over, scoring 69 runs off 49 balls when Chennai needed 49 runs from 13 deliveries to win.
Ravindra Jadeja was brought in place of Conway, but the strategy did not pay off, resulting in an 18-run defeat for Chennai. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad explained post-match that the team gave Conway the chance to up the run rate, but as that did not materialize, they decided to pull him back.
The situation perplexed former Australia captain Michael Clarke. Whereas Piyush Chawla and Wasim Jaffer opined that the decision might have been delayed.
CSK's coach, Stephen Fleming, acknowledged a mid-overs slowdown, but appreciated the team breaking past 200 runs for the first time this season.
The Tilak Verma Retired Out Dilemma
IPL 2025 Match 16 saw Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants in action, with a puzzling moment when Mumbai decided to retire out Tilak Verma seven balls before target completion during their chase against Lucknow.Remarkably, this unusual decision was taken with Hardik Pandya holding his ground at the other end. Verma was settled with 25 off 23 balls when the sudden decision was made.Just before the last ball of Shardul Thakur's over, Tilak suddenly walked off, and Mitchell Santner replaced him. With 24 needed off 7 balls, Avesh Khan successfully defended 22 runs in the last over, ensuring Lucknow's victory.
Coach Jayawardene's Tactical Play
Mumbai's coach, Mahela Jayawardene, explained Verma's retired out decision stating that it was a tactical move due to Verma's struggle with the bat. Despite believing it wasn't ideal to pull Verma out, Jayawardene stood by his decision, affirming it was strategic. Watching from the dugout, Suryakumar Yadav seemed equally surprised by Mahela's call.
Questions Raised by Bhajji and Vihari
Tilak Verma's retired out decision prompted reactions from Harbhajan Singh and Hanuma Vihari, who expressed their doubts publicly. Bhajji tweeted questioning if replacing Tilak with Santner was wise, while Vihari pondered why Pandya, caught in a similar predicament before, wasn't subject to the same decision.
Source: aajtak
List of IPL Players Who Have Retired Out
Ravichandran Ashwin, vs Lucknow Super Giants, Wankhede, 2022Atharva Taide, vs Delhi Capitals, Dharamshala, 2023Sai Sudharsan, vs Mumbai Indians, Ahmedabad, 2023Tilak Verma, vs Lucknow Super Giants, Lucknow, 2025Devon Conway, vs Punjab Kings, New Chandigarh, 2025
