A look at the players retired out in the IPL history

A player retiring out midway through his innings is a rare sight in the game of cricket. Any player who walks off the field holds no chance of returning to resume his knock, unlike the instance of getting 'retired hurt'. The next batter walks in when a player walks off as per the retired out decision, while his knock is counted to calculate his batting average. Across the history of the IPL, only four instances of a player getting retired out have occurred, with the fourth coming as recently as in the LSG vs MI IPL 2025 fixture. A pattern that is noticeable in all such dismissals noted so far is the tactical aspect tied to the decision. A batter, unable to help the cause of victory, irrespective of the reason, finds it a more viable option to walk off and call in someone better to suit the requirement at the moment.

Players who have retired out in the IPL history

Only four instances, including the retired out dismissal of Tilak Varma in the LSG vs MI IPL 2025 match, have been noted so far in IPL history. The instance was first kicked off by Ravi Ashwin, infamous for his unmatched insights into the cricket rule book. After the decision by Ravi Ashwin in IPL 2022, two instances followed in the next season, IPL 2023, when Atharva Taide of PBKS and Sai Sudharsan of Gujarat Titans walked off in an effort to bring a hitter into the combination at the time of need.

Ravi Ashwin - RR vs LSG, IPL 2022

Ravichandran Ashwin made headlines as the first batter in IPL history to retire himself out. Representing Rajasthan Royals, Ashwin was surprisingly sent in to bat at No.6, ahead of the usual choice, Riyan Parag. He walked back voluntarily after facing the second ball of the 19th over, with Rajasthan at 135 for 4. Parag came in and played four legal deliveries, scoring 8 runs. At the time, the decision raised a few eyebrows, but it eventually proved favorable for the team.

Sai Sudarshan - GT vs MI, IPL 2023 qualifier

The following season, Gujarat Titans’ Sai Sudharsan replicated the move. Despite striking at nearly 140, he retired himself out to let Rashid Khan take charge of the final moments. Rashid made an instant impact, smashing a boundary off the very first ball he faced as GT racked up a mammoth 233 against Mumbai Indians.

Atharv Taide - PBKS vs DC, IPL 2023

In the same edition, Punjab Kings’ Atharva Taide, who was enjoying a solid run of form, chose to step aside during the chase against Delhi Capitals. PBKS needed 124 to win, but with 71 required from the last 5 overs and Taide struggling to accelerate, he opted to retire out to make way for the team’s designated finishers.

Tilak Varma - LSG vs MI, IPL 2025

Mumbai Indians were caught up in a mammoth chase as Lucknow Super Giants posted 203 on the board at Ekana. Tilak Varma played patiently, knitting a stable partnership with Suryakumar Yadav. However, towards the end, when MI needed a surplus of 25 runs, Varma's extra patient knock could not serve the purpose. Thus, ahead of the last ball of the penultimate over, the batter was sent back in a retired out decision, with skipper Hardik Pandya at the other end. While Mumbai lost the match by 12 runs, the decision to replace Tilak with Mitchell Santner amused many. Santner didn't provide any support as Pandya kept the strike all to himself in the last over, only to fall short of finding the boundary when needed.