April5, 2025: In a dramatic IPL 2025 encounter between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), a key decision by MI raised eyebrows and sparked criticism from former cricketers Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh. The controversial move came during the penultimate over when Mumbai, chasing a challenging 204-run target, found themselves needing 29 runs off 12 balls.
In the middle of the high-pressure chase, Mumbai made the decision to retire out Tilak Varma, who had been struggling to find his rhythm, bringing in New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner in his place. The move was designed to add some fresh firepower to the batting, as the asking rate climbed and the game neared its end.
However, former India cricketers Pathan and Harbhajan were not convinced by the tactical move. Harbhajan, known for his strong opinions, criticized the decision on social media, questioning if Santner was a better hitter than Tilak. He wrote, “Retiring Tilak for Santner was a mistake in my opinion. Is Santner a better hitter than Tilak? If it was for Pollard or some other accomplished hitter, I would have understood. But don’t agree with this. Come on.”
Pathan, too, was puzzled by the decision and expressed his thoughts on social media, asking, “Tilak Verma retired out n Santner coming in? Doesn’t make sense to me. What do you guys think?”
In the aftermath of the match, where Mumbai ultimately lost by 12 runs, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene defended the decision, calling it a “tactical” one. He explained that Tilak was struggling to get going, and with the game nearing its climax, a “fresh” face was needed to take on the high asking rate.
“Tilak batted well for us when we lost that (third) wicket and that partnership with Surya. He wanted to get going but just couldn’t. I felt that in the end, I just needed someone fresh to have a go when he was struggling,” Jayawardene said during the post-match press conference.
MI captain Hardik Pandya, also supportive of the decision, explained that it was an obvious call as the team was in dire need of big hits to stay in the game. “In cricket, some of those days come when you try but it doesn’t come off. We needed some hits, and that’s why the decision was made,” Hardik said after the game.
Despite the tactical change, the match slipped away from Mumbai’s hands as Santner’s presence did little to alter the outcome. The defeat marked MI’s third loss in IPL 2025, and the debate around the controversial decision continued to dominate post-match discussions.