In a bold tactical move in a high-pressure IPL showdown, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene hogged the headlines by retiring Tilak Varma in the dying moments of their desperate 204-run chase against Lucknow Super Giants on Friday evening.
With only 24 runs required from the last seven balls, Jayawardene went for a dramatic, football-like switch—bringing in Mitchell Santner to replace Tilak in a bid to resuscitate the struggling chase.
The gesture followed Tilak, who had worked his way to 25 runs off 23 balls, being unable to locate boundaries after a significant presence at the crease. When he came in at No. 5 after MI were at 86 for 3 in the ninth over, Tilak had initially stabilised the innings in company with Suryakumar Yadav. But when Suryakumar was caught in the 17th over, the run changed, and Tilak could not increase the pace.
Looking back at the peculiar choice, Jayawardene explained at the post-match press conference: "I feel Tilak played quite well for us when we lost that wicket, and that stand between Surya was important. He just couldn't get started at the end. I waited until the last couple of overs, hoping that as he had spent a bit of time in the middle, he would get that big hit away. He was finding it hard, though, and I felt like we needed a fresh face out in the middle."
The strategic decision incited controversy throughout cricketing ranks, with others perceiving it as a dangerous gamble. Jayawardene countered, however, citing the team-first mentality behind the decision.
MI captain Hardik Pandya too seconded the appeal, not singling out any individual but taking the team's overall collapse with the bat on himself. "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," Hardik declared. "I take full ownership. It was obvious—we needed some hits. In cricket, some of those days come.
In spite of the innovative play, the bet failed to return the desired payoff. Mumbai Indians were short by 12 runs, giving Lucknow Super Giants a hard-fought win in a nail-biting finish.
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