NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has questioned the growing trend of the ‘retired out’ tactic in the Indian Premier League, calling it more an act of frustration than strategy. His comments came after Chennai Super Kings retired out opener Devon Conway during their clash against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on Tuesday.
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Conway, who was batting fluently on 69 off 49 balls, walked off in the 18th over as CSK chased a steep 220-run target. He was replaced by Ravindra Jadeja with 49 runs needed from just 13 balls. Despite the move, CSK fell short by 18 runs.
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This was the second instance this IPL season where a batter was tactically retired out. Earlier, Mumbai Indians pulled a similar move with Tilak Varma against Lucknow Super Giants — they lost that game too.
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Reacting to the trend, Kaif posted on X: “Teams using retired out option more out of frustration. It’s a tactic that rarely works as there are very few batters who can hit a 6 on first ball they face.Most times it is the struggling batsman on crease who has a better chance of winning the game. Remember Tewatia he hit 5 sixes in 5 balls after he has made 8 runs off 19 balls.”
Kaif’s take has reignited the debate over whether the ‘retired out’ rule is a useful innovation or a desperate gamble.
Retired out in the IPL
- R Ashwin vs LSG, Wankhede, 2022
- Atharva Taide vs DC, Dharamshala, 2023
- Sai Sudharsan vs MI, Ahmedabad, 2023
- Tilak Varma vs LSG, Lucknow, 2025
- Devon Conway vs PBKS, Mullanpur, 2025*
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