Leg and Off: Was MI’s decision to retire out Tilak Varma in the IPL 2025 match vs LSG the right one?

The Mumbai Indians (MI) achieved infamy of a kind that is not usually reserved for their ilk - they retired Tilak Varma out in the 19th over of a chase of 204 that they eventually faltered in on Friday, April 4. As a result, the Lucknow Super Giants coasted comfortably to a 12-run victory at home.

When Varma was asked to go back to the pavilion by the management, MI needed 24 runs off seven deliveries. While it was ostensibly done to send someone fresh into the middle who could land a few big blows out of the park and take them closer to the total, it has created a veritable storm in a teacup given the individual involved.

Head coach Mahela Jayawardene had to answer the inevitable question in the post-match press conference, and he did not shy away from admitting it was a 'tactical decision.'

"He just wanted to get going, but he couldn't. [We] waited till the last few overs, hoping that [he would find his rhythm], because he had 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. These things happen in cricket. Not nice to take him out but I had to do that, it was a tactical decision at that point," said Jayawardene.

That it happened to Tilak Varma seems to be an anomaly, even though the Hyderabad-born cricketer has been far from his usual chirpy and flamboyant self with the bat in this season's IPL. In the three innings he has played so far, Varma has amassed 95 runs at an average of 31.66 and a strike rate of 113.

This strike rate may seem dismal according to his usual high standards, but one can expect Varma - who is known to work harder than anyone else in the room - to come back with a solution sooner rather than later.

However, whether MI did the right thing by asking him to come back to the pavilion begets this question.

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Tilak Varma's numbers on Friday left MI with little choice but to retire him out

Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma of Mumbai Indians. (Image Source: Getty Images)

The franchise does have the numbers going in their favor. When Varma walked out to bat, they were 86/3 after 8.1 overs, with India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav going great guns. The southpaw then had his share of gut-wrenching fun building a 66-run partnership with Yadav that came off just 48 deliveries.

However, for those who read between the lines, Varma's inability to time the ball last evening was obvious. Even in this partnership with Yadav, he could strike at less than a 100 - 17 runs came off 18 balls. Soon afterwards, Yadav's dismissal sparked a frenzy for MI, and then the asking rate shot up to 52 off 23 balls.

Tilak Varma, who is usually known for taking the aerial route against seamers when the ball is hard, struggled to get into good positions last evening. This has been written off as being 'one of those days' in cricket by head coach Jayawardene and captain Hardik Pandya, but Varma's batting position needs to be talked about too.

Being a top-order batter, he was asked to come in at number five in this game, in stark contrast to the number three position he was asked to occupy against the Gujarat Titans. To be fair to MI, although Varma got off to a decent start against GT, he ended his knock of 39 off 36 deliveries, striking at 108.33.

In their maiden game this season, against avowed foes Chennai Super Kings, Varma batted at number five, coming in behind Will Jacks and Yadav at numbers three and four. His strike rate was slightly better that day on a slow-burning turner - 124 while scoring 31 off 25 deliveries.

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Is Tilak Varma's strike rate a cause of concern for MI?

Tilak Varma of Mumbai Indians plays a shot. (Photo by Getty Images)

Tilak Varma's flagging strike rate this IPL is a cause of concern that can be addressed solely by the MI management, but the fact that he has delivered for them under pressure over the last four seasons is beyond doubt. The reliability he offers against the white ball, which is not his usual forte, is a great sign for the franchise.

In the 42 matches he has played in the cash-rich league so far in his young career, Varma has amassed 1,251 runs at an average of 39.09, which is more than what most middle-order batters have managed to achieve. These numbers did not get stacked up in thin air and took years of training and application.

The left-handed dynamo has shown immense courage in taking on bowlers far more experienced than him in both age and maturity in the past, and it is but a matter of time before he touches such highs again. Against LSG, with the game on the line, MI were left with little recourse but to withdraw him from the crease.

Cricket, while beautiful on most occasions, is often painful to those of its participants who get left behind on the starting line. Varma, a perennial overachiever, may not be cognisant of this feeling much owing to the clouds he has made his home since an extremely young age, and one feels that this incident in Lucknow is bound to have a profound effect on his psyche.

The southpaw has been a gift to the people of Hyderabad and, in extension, to the cricket lovers of India, and it would benefit them all to see him back into his groove. While the decision may have seemed harsh to him at that moment, being the consummate professional that he is, the 22-year-old will take it in his stride and keep working on his growth.