What are the typical methods of dismissing a batter in cricket? You would likely first consider being caught out, stumped out, run out, and perhaps even LBW.
All of these are indeed valid methods for dismissing a batter, but there is one rare case in which the batter voluntarily gives up his/her wicket. Can you guess what it is?
It is the retired out. It is not a common sight to see this on the cricket field, yet teams are utilizing it as a strategy in matches.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has also been a witness to this practice, where at least a couple of batters have retired out in various games.
Players to Retire Out in IPL
| S.No | Player | Team | Opponent | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ravichandran Ashwin | Rajasthan Royals | Lucknow Super Giants | 2022 | RR won by 3 runs |
| 2 | Atharva Taide | Punjab Kings | Delhi Capitals | 2023 | PBKS lost by 15 runs |
| 3 | Sai Sudharsan | Gujarat Titans | Mumbai Indians | 2023 | GT won by 62 runs |
| 4 | Tilak Varma | Mumbai Indians | Lucknow Super Giants | 2025 | MI lost by 12 runs |
| 5 | Devon Conway | Chennai Super Kings | Punjab Kings | 2025 | CSK lost the chase |
1. Ravichandran Ashwin (Rajasthan Royals) vs Lucknow Super Giants – 2022
Ravichandran Ashwin, the street-smart cricketer, very first opened the door for the tactical use of retired out dismissal in the IPL. The former Indian spinner brought a lot of variations to his bowling, but this time he decided to do something different with the bat.
In a match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Rajasthan Royals (RR) were 67 for 4 at the midway point. RR promoted Ashwin to No. 6, maybe with the intention of doing some pinch-hitting and protecting their next recognized batter, Riyan Parag.
Besides two sixes, Ashwin could not connect with the ball well, yet he was keeping the scorecard moving along with Shimron Hetmyer. But then he made the decision to retire out on 135 with 10 balls remaining.
The tactical decision somewhat turned out to be the difference maker as RR scored 30 runs in 10 balls. Later, they successfully defended their score of 165 by three runs.
2. Atharva Taide (Punjab Kings) vs Delhi Capitals – 2023
After Ashwin’s move, teams started giving the retired out dismissal a serious thought. And the IPL 2023 season saw it happen twice.
One of the cases was Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) Atharva Taide. The batter came in at No. 3 with PBKS chasing 214 against Delhi Capitals.
During the powerplay phase, Taide was able to hit a couple of boundaries. But then his strike rate dropped due to the rise in the middle overs of the required run rate (RRR).
Thus, the PBKS management took the decision to retire him out and let Jitesh Sharma come in. It was a smart move; nevertheless, it did not pay off for Punjab, as they lost the chase by fifteen runs.
3. Sai Sudharsan (Gujarat Titans) vs Mumbai Indians – 2023
Another case from the 2023 season refers to Sai Sudharsan. The trustworthy batsman of the Gujarat Titans played second fiddle to Shubman Gill during Qualifier 2.
Gill was enjoying an excellent day and finally got 129 runs in his name. Concurrently, Sudharsan was running the ship from the other side.
He made some boundaries now and then, but the big ones did not come towards the end. GT already lapped up 200 but the next over, they asked Sudharsan to leave the field.
Rashid Khan was the new batter and he hit a four on his first ball, while Hardik Pandya finished the innings with a four and a six. MI succumbed to the huge target of 233, as they managed to score only 171.
4. Tilak Varma (Mumbai Indians) vs Lucknow Super Giants – 2025
Tilak Varma had the misfortune of becoming the fourth batter to retire out in the IPL. The Mumbai team was faced with the task of chasing 204 against LSG.
Their chase got off to a very slow start with two batters already dismissed in the first three overs. Then Naman Dhir and Suryakumar Yadav raised MI’s spirits in the chase with a partnership of 69 runs.
Dhir’s wicket fell at the score of 86, which meant that Varma had to come in as an impact player. Sadly, the left-hander could not make any impact.
Varma was unable to score, which not only affected Surya but also raised the RRR. His team needed 24 runs off the last 7 balls when MI decided to recall him.
Varma went back after scoring 25 runs off 23 balls. The move, however, did not lead to a win for MI as they fell short by 12 runs.
Read Also:- List of Fastest 100 in IPL
5.Devon Conway (Chennai Super Kings) vs Punjab Kings – 2025
It was just four days after Tilak’s retired out that we had the second such dismissal already. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) retired Devon Conway out using the tactical method.
The left-hand opener was the mainstay in CSK’s 220-run chase with his 69 runs from 49 balls. However, the big hits slowed down from Conway’s side after this fifty while the RRR climbed.
Conway left the field when the equation became 49 required off 13 balls. Ravindra Jadeja was his replacement, but CSK could not pull off the chase.
