IPL history: 4 instances of players being retired out

Tilak Varma created a rare moment in IPL history as he became only the fourth batter to be retired out, during Mumbai Indians’ clash against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium on Friday. The incident took place in the final overs of the chase, where Varma, batting on 25 off 23 balls, was struggling. With MI still needing 24 runs off the last seven balls, the decision was made to retire him out.

According to ICC rules, a batter is adjudged retired out if they leave the field without the umpire's permission and do not return with the opposing captain’s consent. This is counted as a dismissal when calculating the batting average. It differs from retired hurt, where a player leaves due to injury but can resume later if fit. Varma came in at number five in the ninth over and never looked comfortable. Despite his efforts, he couldn't time the ball well, prompting the MI camp to make the call to retire him out.

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Here are the four players who have been retired out in IPL:

4. Tilak Varma vs LSG in 2025

The newest addition to this list became Mumbai Indians' batter Tilak Varma, who retired in the game against Lucknow Super Giants in Match No. 16. Chasing 204, MI were at 86/3 when Tilak walked in, but the southpaw struggled to play at a higher strike rate, scoring 25 off 23 balls. His slow knock increased the pressure on the in-form Suryakumar Yadav, who eventually fell for a 67. 

As the asking rate went over 15, MI coach Mahela Jayawardene made the call to retire Tilak with seven balls remaining and 24 still needed. Mitchell Santner replaced him, but MI couldn’t complete the chase, falling short by 12 runs. Hardik Pandya, who was at the other end, called the decision obvious during the post-match. Shardul Thakur’s 19th over (just 7 runs conceded) proved to be the game-changer.