Mumbai Indians tried a shock tactical transfer within the dying moments of a steep 201-run chase towards the Lucknow Tremendous Giants with head coach Mahela Jayawardene prompting batter Tilak Varma to retire out after struggling to search out boundaries.
With 24 required off seven deliveries, Tilak, who was batting with skipper Hardik Pandya, needed to stroll off the sector after contributing solely 25 from 23 deliveries at No. 5 within the chase. In a shock football-style participant swap, Jayawardene despatched in Mitchell Santner to interchange Tilak, forward of the likes of Raj Angad Bawa and Deepak Chahar.
“I feel Tilak batted effectively for us after we misplaced that wicket and that partnership with Surya and he simply needed to get going however he simply couldn’t then,” Jayawardene informed the reporters after the match.
Batting at 25 off 23 within the run chase, #TilakVarma retired himself out to make approach for Mitchell Santner! 🤯
Solely the 4th time a batter has retired out within the IPL!
Watch LIVE motion ➡ https://t.co/nH2UGjQY0t #IPLonJioStar 👉 #LSGvMI, LIVE NOW on Star Sports activities 1, Star Sports activities 1… pic.twitter.com/NJ0C0F8MvL
— Star Sports activities (@StarSportsIndia) April 4, 2025
The match was within the steadiness when Tilak walked out within the ninth over at 86 for 3. Whereas Suryakumar was amping up the scoring charges, Tilak did not launch the large hits and slowly moved alongside. Nonetheless, Suryakumar’s dismissal within the seventeenth over proved to be the game-changing second, following which the left-handed Tilak couldn’t increase the momentum.
“I waited until the previous few overs hoping that as a result of he spent a while there, so he ought to have been in a position to get that hit out of the way in which, however I simply felt that on the finish I simply wanted somebody contemporary to go and he was struggling,” he added.
“When this stuff occur in cricket and never good to take him out however I had to try this, it was a tactical choice at that time,” he added.
The transfer, nevertheless, didn’t bear fruition as Pandya and Santner failed to shut out the sport within the last over as MI misplaced by 12 runs.
“We win as a staff. We lose as a staff. Don’t need to level somebody out. The possession must be taken by the entire batting unit. I take full possession. It was apparent (on Tilak being retired out). We wanted some hits. In cricket, a few of these days come,” Pandya mentioned within the post-match presentation.