Kieron Pollard name dropped as Ex India coach rattles Hardik Pandya over Tilak Varma's Controversy

Former India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar questioned Mumbai Indians’ (MI) decision to retire out Tilak Varma during a run chase against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their IPL 2025 clash. The former cricketer said the move had little impact on the outcome of the match, as Mitchell Santner only faced two balls.

Tilak Varma became the first player to be retired out in the ongoing IPL season during Mumbai Indians' 12-run defeat to Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 4. The decision to replace him with Mitchell Santner sparked debate and left many questioning the team’s tactical approach.

Tilak Varma Would Be Devastated to Do That - Sanjay Bangar

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Sanjay Bangar stated that bringing in Mitchell Santner, who isn’t known for his power-hitting, didn’t offer any real advantage. Bangar added that the move could have hurt Varma’s confidence.

"I don't really think it impacted the game in any way. Had he been retired slightly earlier that could have had an effect of how much had to be gotten in the last over. Santner got what? Two balls to face? Maybe Tilak would have got a couple of those particular deliveries. So, it was not as if a Pollard was walking in or something else," Bangar said.

"What you are doing is that you clearly are sort of putting down one of your top players, and Tilak would be devastated to do that," he added.

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Tilak Varma Retired Out After Struggling to Accelerate

In their chase of 204, Tilak Varma, who was struggling on 25 off 23 balls, was retired out with only seven balls left in the innings. Mitchell Santner was sent to the crease to accelerate the scoring and managed two runs on the final ball of the penultimate over.

Mumbai needed 22 from the final over to secure back-to-back wins in IPL 2025. Shardul Thakur’s tight over had shifted momentum toward Lucknow Super Giants, but Hardik Pandya reignited hope by smashing the first delivery of the final over for six.

However, his decision to deny a single midway through the over left Mumbai needing 14 off the last three balls. Avesh Khan then delivered two dot balls, sealing a 12-run win for LSG.

He Maybe Could Have Taken a Couple of Options - Mark Boucher

Former Mumbai Indians head coach Mark Boucher said that Tilak Varma helped stabilize the innings with his steady 66-run partnership with Suryakumar Yadav.

However, Boucher admitted that Tilak struggled to accelerate. He added that the decision didn’t affect the match outcome.

"Tilak actually played a decent role with his partnership with Surya. You'd expect him with his talents not to be able to, you know, up his tempo. Obviously, it just wasn't happening for him. I think they bowled really well at him," Boucher said.

"He maybe could have taken a couple of options, moved around the crease a bit more. I mean, that would be a conversation that Polly will probably have with him at a later stage. But yeah, I don't think it had an impact on the game," he added.

Tilak Varma also had a tough outing in the match against the Gujarat Titans on March 29 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. During MI’s chase of 197, the left-hander scored 39 runs from 36 balls, and the team lost by 36 runs.

Mumbai Indians will look to bounce back in their next fixture against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, April 7.

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