After some criticism about the decision to retire out Tilak Varma, Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene shared that he made that call during a tough run chase. Tilak scored 25 runs off 23 balls before he was subbed out in the second-to-last over. Jayawardene took responsibility for this move, noting that Tilak was having a tough time hitting the ball well even after spending a decent amount of time at the crease. He thought it was better to bring in a fresh player for the final overs.
Tilak did well for us after we lost that third wicket and had a good partnership with Surya. He tried to get going but just couldn’t find his rhythm. He waited until the end hoping to break through, but I felt we needed someone fresh since he was struggling. It wasn’t pleasant to take him out, but it was a tactical move I had to make, Jayawardene said in the post-match interview.
Tilak, who came in as an impact player, retired before the last over. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya struggled with the bat but made waves with the ball. He achieved his first five-wicket haul in T20s and became the first captain to take five wickets in an IPL match.
Jayawardene noted that Hardik used his experience to realize that bowling slower and changing up the length was necessary since they were leaking too many runs during the powerplay. These experienced players adapt well and see opportunities. Hardik really turned the game around with his bowling, which gave us a solid chance to chase down the total, he added. Hardik’s impressive bowling figures of 5/36 included key wickets like Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant, and David Miller, and he capped off his performance by taking out the last batsman, Akash Deep.