Hardik Pandya broke the silence when she retired Tilak Varma after MI’s loss to LSG, saying “He’s not…”
The 22-year-old Tilak Varma worked hard to speed up, managing only 25 runs out of 23 delivery, resulting in a strike rate of 108.70. As the game entered a critical stage, with the last seven goals requiring 24 runs, Tilak Varma was directed to retire, making a way for Mitchell Santner.
Mumbai Indian Captain Hardik Pandya controversially against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 16th game of the IPL 2025 season at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekanaeee Ekana Cricket Stadium, demanding retirement to Tilak Varma. Left-handed batsman Tilak Varma entered the ninth after Naman Dhir was fired, who scored 46 runs from 24 goals.
Unfortunately, the 22-year-old Tilak Varma worked hard to speed up, managing only 25 runs from 23 delivery, resulting in a strike rate of 108.70.
As the game entered a critical stage, with the last seven goals requiring 24 runs, Tilak Varma was directed to retire, making a way for Mitchell Santner. In making this decision, Hardik Pandya hit the ball at the other end.
After the match, Hardik Pandya addressed the decision in her post-match speech and provided a direct response, noting that the choice was “obvious.”
In his post-match speech, Pandya said: “We need some hits that he didn’t get. This decision itself is why we did it.“
Hardik Pandya also admitted that his team had another 12-13 runs in the field, which greatly affected the game. “If we had 10, 12 or 13 runs on our own, I think we were paying too much at this wicket,” he said.
With Suryakumar Yadav’s impressive 67 runs in 43 balls, the Mumbai Indians are still fighting for victory, aiming to chase 204 goals. However, their dismissals ruined their momentum.
At the end of the final, the Mumbai Indians needed 22 runs, with Hardik Pandya starting in six games. However, Avesh Khan adjusted the bowling to score 12 wins for Lucknow Super Giants.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians continued to struggle for the rhythm this season due to losses, but Pandya is still hopeful.
He added: “Just just play cricket, I want to keep it simple. It’s better to make a phone call, bowl, hit the ball. It’s a long game and you’ll get some wins and get into the rhythm.”
