IPL 2025: 'Not Nice, But Had to do That' - MI Coach Jayawardene on Retiring Tilak Varma Out Against LSG

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Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has said the decision to retire out the struggling Tilak Varma against the Lucknow Super Giants at the BRSABV Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Friday (April 4) was a "tactical" one.

With the equation down to 29 needed in 12 deliveries, Mumbai Indians needed to up the ante with skipper Hardik Pandya and Tilak unbeaten at the crease. Tilak was expected to live up to his reputation and explode after getting to 25 off 23 balls.

But Tilak and Hardik failed to find a boundary five balls into Shardul Thakur's penultimate over, leaving MI with a decision to make and the thinktank decided to swap Tilak with Mitchell Santner, bringing an end to the southpaw's time at the crease on 25 from 23 deliveries with just two fours.

In the end, MI fell short of the 204-run target by 12 runs. After the game, Jayawardene reflected on the decision to recall Tilak and felt a fresh face was the need of the hour, even though the decision didn't sit well with some former cricketers.

"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 and waited till the last few overs hoping; because you spent some time, you should have been able to get that hit out of the way.

"But I felt that in the end, I just needed someone fresh to have a go when he was struggling. These things happen in cricket, and it was not nice to take him out, but I had to do that. That was a tactical decision at that point," Jayawardene said in the post-match press conference.

With the defeat against LSG, Mumbai Indians have recorded three losses in four outings so far this season, having won only against Kolkata Knight Riders after the defeats to Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans.

The five-time champions will look to bounce back when they return to their home ground - Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where they will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Monday (April 7).