Though mitchell santner

BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium: The retiring out of Tilak Varma in the IPL 2025 game between Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians on Friday kickstarted a debate over whether the side should have gone ahead with the move or not.

At the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, a struggling Varma, who had hit a 23-ball 25, became just the fourth batter to be retired out in an IPL game. Though Mitchell Santner came to replace him, it didn’t help MI’s cause as they eventually lost by 12 runs, as LSG pacer Avesh Khan defended 22 runs in the final over.

Not all people in the Indian cricketing fraternity seem to buy into Jayawardene’s logic of retiring out a capped India batter like Varma. “Franchise-based cricket may be financially rewarding for players, but often at the cost of their self-respect. There has to be a line (respect) between team owners and players—neither side should cross it.”