Atharva Taide becomes second player to get retired out in IPL history during PBKS vs DC

Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Atharva Taide became only the second player to get retired out in Indian Premier League (IPL) history.

That happened during Punjab’s game against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Wednesday (May 17). The left-hander walked off after scoring an unbeaten 55 off 42 at a strike rate of 130.95, including two sixes and five boundaries.

As the required run rate kept surging, Taide was unable to find boundaries between the 12th and 15th overs. So, he decided to make a tactical move to bring in Jitesh Sharma, who can tonk big sixes.

However, Taide's move backfired, as Sharma departed for a three-ball duck. Shahrukh Khan, who can also hit big shots, was dismissed for six off three.

For the uninitiated, Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Ravichandran Ashwin was the first IPL player to retire out, doing so against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium last season.

On Tuesday, LSG captain Krunal Pandya also got retired hurt during their game against five-time champions Mumbai Indians. Krunal scored 49 off 42 but left the field after he was hit on the leg on the final delivery of the 16th over.

However, many wondered if it was a tactical call to bring in Nicholas Pooran during the death overs, as Lucknow won the game by five runs. A fan asked Ashwin whether it was cheating, tweeting:

“Utterly cheating.”

Ashwin replied:

“The rules permit you to do it! There is no cheating.”

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What does the rule say?

As per Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) laws of cricket, a retired hurt batter is provisionally allowed to bat once again while a retired out batter is deemed out. The player can, however, resume the innings only with the consent of the opposing captain.

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Atharva Taide's PBKS lose to DC by 15 runs

A clinical bowling performance from Delhi Capitals restricted Punjab Kings to 198 in their 20 overs. Ishant Sharma and Anrich Nortje starred with the ball, taking two wickets apiece. Khaleel Ahmed and Axar Patel took one scalp apiece.

For PBKS, Liam Livingstone starred with the bat, scoring 94 off 48 at a strike rate of 195.83, including nine sixes and five boundaries. Taide also chipped in with an unbeaten half-century.

Earlier in the day, DC posted 213-2 in their allotted 20 overs, courtesy of half-centuries from Rilee Rossouw (82* off 37) and Prithvi Shaw (54 off 38). Captain David Warner and Phil Salt chipped in with scores of 46 (31) and 26*(14), respectively. Sam Curran took a couple of wickets for Punjab, but the other bowlers failed to deliver.

With the loss, Punjab dropped to eighth in the standings with six wins in 13 games. They must win their last game against Rajasthan Royals (RR) by a decent margin and rely on other results to go their way to reach the playoffs.

Click here to check out the PBKS vs DC full scorecard.