What are the most common ways to get out in cricket? You’d perhaps think of being caught out, stumped out, run out, or even LBW.
Well, these are all legitimate ways to get a batter out, but there is one way the batter willfully ends their innings. What’s that?
It’s retired out. It’s not something we see happen a lot on the field, but teams are tactically using it in cricket matches.
And the Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen a fair share of its use in a few matches.
Here, we’ll list the instances when a batter retired out in the IPL.
1. Ravichandran Ashwin (Rajasthan Royals) vs Lucknow Super Giants | 2022
Ravichandran Ashwin, the street-smart cricketer, first opened the door for the tactical use of retired out dismissal in the IPL. The former Indian spinner brought many variations to his bowling, but this time he decided to do something different with the bat.
In a game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Rajasthan Royals (RR) were 67 for 4 at the halfway mark. RR promoted Ashwin at No. 6, perhaps to do some pinch-hitting and protect their next recognised batter, Riyan Parag.
Apart from two sixes, Ashwin couldn’t connect with the ball well, though he kept the scorecard ticking along with Shimron Hetmyer. But then he decided to retire out on 135 with 10 balls to go.
The tactical decision somewhat proved to be the point of difference as RR added 30 runs in 10 balls. Later, they defended their total of 165 by three runs.
2. Atharva Taide (Punjab Kings) vs Delhi Capitals | 2023
After Ashwin’s move, teams started looking at the retired out dismissal more seriously. And the 2023 season saw it happen twice.
One instance involved Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) Atharva Taide. The batter walked in at No. 3 with PBKS chasing 214 against Delhi Capitals.
In the powerplay phase, Taide got a few boundaries. But his strike rate slowed down as the required run rate (RRR) increased in the middle overs.
So, PBKS management decided to retire him out and bring in Jitesh Sharma. It was a good move, but it didn’t work out for Punjab as they lost the chase by 15 runs.
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3. Sai Sudharsan (Gujarat Titans) vs Mumbai Indians | 2023
The other instance from the 2023 season involved Sai Sudharsan. Playing for Gujarat Titans, the reliable batter played a second fiddle to Shubman Gill in Qualifier 2.
Gill was in sublime form and eventually scored 129. At the same time, Sudharsan was anchoring from the other end.
He scored occasional boundaries, but the big shots didn’t come towards the end. GT were already past 200, but with an over to spare, they retired out Sudharsan.
Rashid Khan, the new batter in, smashed a four off his first ball, while Hardik Pandya wrapped up GT’s innings with a four and a six. GT’s 233 were too much for MI as they succumbed at 171.
4. Tilak Varma (Mumbai Indians) vs Lucknow Super Giants | 2025
Tilak Varma became the fourth batter to retire out in the IPL. Mumbai were out chasing 204 against LSG.
Their chase couldn’t get the desired start with two batters back in the dugout in three overs. Then Naman Dhir and Suryakumar Yadav brought back MI in the chase with a 69-run stand.
But Dhir’s dismissal on 86 meant Varma walked in as an impact player. Unfortunately, the left-hander couldn’t create any impact.
Varma struggled to get the runs, which put pressure on Surya and eventually increased the RRR. With 24 required off seven balls, MI decided to call him back.
Varma went out after scoring 25 runs off 23 balls. The decision, though, didn’t bring a victory to MI as they fell short by 12 runs.
5. Devon Conway (Chennai Super Kings) vs Punjab Kings | 2025
Tilak’s retired out was still fresh, and we already had the second such dismissal in the next four days. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) used the tactical method to retire out Devon Conway.
The left-hand opener kept CSK in the 220-run chase with his 69 runs from 49 balls. But the big shots dried up from Conway’s end after this fifty, while the RRR shot up.
With the equation coming down to 49 needed off 13 balls, Conway walked off the field. Ravindra Jadeja came in his place, but CSK couldn’t chase down the target
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