Captain or coach: Who called for retiring Tilak Varma out in the LSG vs MI IPL 2025 match

Retiring a player out can often be seen as a tactical move by a team. However, the drama that unfolded in the LSG vs MI IPL 2025 match presents a number of loopholes that have piqued the audience's curiosity. Mumbai Indians, locked in a challenging chase against Lucknow Super Giants, sent Tilak Varma back to the dugout in the penultimate over. Skipper Hardik Pandya was at the other end when the middle-order batter was directed to return, as Mitchell Santner walked in as the next batter. Santner has many credits to his name, a power-hitter not being one. Pandya, chasing 24 in the last over, denied a single to Santner. So, if the other batter had the role that Santner played, what was the need of sending Tilak back?

Mahela Jayawardene not Hardik Pandya sent Tilak Varma back in the LSG vs MI IPL 2025 chase

However, in an update following the 12-run defeat of Mumbai Indians, the head coach has revealed who took the call. Contrary to the belief that it was Hardik Pandya who sent Tilak Varma back as the batter struggled to make the big hits, Mahela Jayawardene took the onus of the decision. Chasing a daunting target of 204 in the LSG vs MI IPL 2025 match, Tilak failed to find rhythm on the night, managing a sluggish 25 off 23 deliveries with just two boundaries after being introduced as an Impact Player.

Jayawardene clarified that it was entirely his decision, not skipper Hardik Pandya’s, to take Tilak off the field at that crucial juncture. He acknowledged that while Tilak did anchor the innings alongside Suryakumar Yadav during the middle overs, the urgency of the moment demanded fresh firepower at the crease.

"I think Tilak batted well for us when we lost that wicket and that partnership with Surya and he just wanted to get going but he just couldn't then," Jayawardene said. 

The coach elaborated that he had allowed Tilak enough time to settle and waited until the second-last over before acting. But once it became clear the left-hander was unable to accelerate, he felt the change was necessary. With 22 runs needed off the last over, Hardik sparked some hope with a first-ball six off Avesh Khan, but the LSG pacer held his nerve, conceding only three runs off the next five deliveries. Santner, unfortunately, had little opportunity to make a difference, facing just the last ball of the 19th and the final over. Jayawardene described the move as a tactical call, one taken purely with the team's best interest in mind.

"I waited till the last few overs hoping that because he spent some time there so he should have been able to get that hit out of the way but I just felt that at the end I just needed someone fresh to go and he was struggling," he further elaborated. "When these things happen in cricket and not nice to take him out but I had to do that, it was a tactical decision at that point," he added.