“Tactic that rarely works”: Mohammad Kaif attacks CSK, MI for retiring out Devon Conway, Tilak Varma

Mohammad Kaif has lashed out at the teams over the growing trend of retiring out the struggling batters mid-innings in the ongoing IPL 2025. The tactic is under fire for being a move of desperation rather than strategy, and now Mohammad Kaif sparked a fresh debate over the trend.

It all started when Mumbai Indians shocked fans by retiring out Tilak Varma during their clash against Lucknow Super Giants. Chennai Super Kings didn’t wait long to follow suit, pulling Devon Conway out in their match against Punjab Kings. But instead of turning the tide, both teams crashed to defeats.

Mohammad Kaif slams ‘Retired Out’ trend in the IPL 2025

Both Tilak Varma's and Devon Conway’s sluggish innings forced their respective teams to make use of the rule with the hope of winning the game by introducing a fresh batter. Kaif was not really impressed by the decision-making, pointing out how such moves often backfire.

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The former Indian batter has noted that teams are now relying on new batters to walk in and deliver magic from ball one instead of trusting a struggling batter to bounce back, but this gamble rarely pays off. Kaif also cited the example of Rahul Tewatia's iconic turnaround.

Mohammad Kaif says 'teams using the retired-out option more out of frustration'

He feels the teams are making rash calls that ultimately cost them the game. Notably, Tewatia hit five sixes in an over off Sheldon Cottrell and helped Rajasthan Royals win the IPL 2020 game against Punjab Kings.

Mohammad Kaif posted on X: "Teams using the retired-out option more out of frustration. It is a tactic that rarely works, as there are very few batters who can hit a 6 on the first ball they face. Most times it is the struggling batsman on the crease who has a better chance of winning the game. Remember Tewatia? He hit 5 sixes in 5 balls after he had made 8 runs off 19 balls."

Teams using retired out option more out of frustration. it is 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…

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) April 9, 2025

From Ravichandran Ashwin to Devon Conway, Players retired out in the IPL

Before this season, Ravichandran Ashwin shocked everyone by becoming the first player in IPL history to be retired out as a tactical move while playing for Rajasthan Royals against Lucknow Super Giants in 2022.

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Then, in 2023, Atharva Taide was retired out as Punjab Kings decided to send in a new batter against Delhi Capitals. Later that same season, Gujarat Titans’ batter Sai Sudharsan also walked off against the Mumbai Indians.

Speaking about the fresh incidents, Devon Conway was batting well and had scored 69 runs from 49 balls. But in the 18th over, Conway was asked to make way for Ravindra Jadeja as he was not matching up with the required run rate. Jadeja came in to bat with 49 runs still needed from just 13 balls, and it was too late, as CSK lost the match by 18 runs against the PBKS.

On the other hand, Mumbai Indians sent Tilak Varma back as retired out on the final ball of the 19th over. He had scored 25 runs from 23 balls but was struggling to hit big shots. The MI sent Mitchell Santner, but the match was already slipping from their grips while chasing 203 runs, as LSG won that game by 12 runs.