‘Should have got the hit out of the way’: MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene explains Tilak Varma retired out decision against LSG

Mumbai Indians attempted a surprise tactical move in the dying moments of a steep 201-run chase against the Lucknow Super Giants with head coach Mahela Jayawardene prompting batter Tilak Varma to retire out after struggling to find boundaries.

With 24 required off seven deliveries, Tilak, who was batting with skipper Hardik Pandya, had to walk off the field after contributing only 25 from 23 deliveries at No. 5 in the chase. In a surprise football-style player swap, Jayawardene sent in Mitchell Santner to replace Tilak, ahead of the likes of Raj Angad Bawa and Deepak Chahar.

“I think Tilak batted well for us when we lost that wicket and that partnership with Surya and he just wanted to get going but he just couldn’t then,” Jayawardene told the reporters after the match.

Batting at 25 off 23 in the run chase, #TilakVarma retired himself out to make way for Mitchell Santner! 🤯 Only the 4th time a batter has retired out in the IPL! Watch LIVE action ➡ https://t.co/nH2UGjQY0t #IPLonJioStar 👉 #LSGvMI, LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1… pic.twitter.com/NJ0C0F8MvL — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 4, 2025

The match was in the balance when Tilak walked out in the ninth over at 86 for three. While Suryakumar was amping up the scoring rates, Tilak failed to launch the big hits and slowly moved along. However, Suryakumar’s dismissal in the 17th over proved to be the game-changing moment, following which the left-handed Tilak could not raise the momentum.

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“I waited till the last few overs hoping that because he spent some time there, so he should have been able to get that hit out of the way, but I just felt that at the end I just needed someone fresh to go and he was struggling,” he added.

“When these things happen in cricket and not nice to take him out but I had to do that, it was a tactical decision at that point,” he added.

The move, however, did not bear fruition as Pandya and Santner failed to close out the game in the final over as MI lost by 12 runs.

“We win as a team. We lose as a team. Don’t want to point someone out. The ownership has to be taken by the whole batting unit. I take full ownership. It was obvious (on Tilak being retired out). We needed some hits. In cricket, some of those days come,” Pandya said in the post-match presentation.

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