The Indian Premier League clash between Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants saw a unique tactic put into action by Rajasthan, with Ravichandran Ashwin becoming the first ever player to 'retire out' in the cricket tournament's history.
After losing big hitters Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal and Rassie van der Dussen as they fell to 67-4 in the tenth over, Rajasthan promoted Ashwin up the order to number six. Ashwin was promoted above Riyan Parag to help his side rebuild, with Parag considered Rajasthan's finisher.
And the veteran all-rounder proceeded to share a crucial 68-run partnership with the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer. However, during the penultimate over of Rajasthan's innings, Ashwin, who is not noted for his big hitting, retired out having made 28 at a strike rate of 121.73.
That left Parag with a maximum of ten balls to try and up the ante alongside Hetmyer. And the 20-year-old struck 8 runs at a strike rate of 200, largely justifying the decision to retire Ashwin.
In the end, Rajasthan posted a first innings total of 165-6, with Hetmyer finishing on 59 not out. And the decision was widely praised by former players, with ex-England captain Michael Vaughan tweeting: "Retired OUT .. love it .. @rajasthanroyals #IPL2022"
Former West Indies quick Ian Bishop labelled it a "fascinating" decision, writing: "Ashwin retired out is fascinating T20 tactics. T20 is causing us to rethink the way we conceive the game of in the 21st century."
Ex-Australia captain Lisa Sthalekar said the tactic "makes a lot of sense", tweeting: "Retired OUT….it was only a matter of time we saw it in the #IPL2022 Makes a lot of sense."
When asked about the decision following the end of the innings, Hetmyer said: "I literally have no idea about that retire out decision from Ashwin. I just turned around and saw him sprint off. It was a good decision in the end."
Ashwin is just the fourth player to have ever retired out in a T20, with Shahid Afridi the first to do so after blasting 42 off just 14 ball during a tour match for Pakistan against Northamptonshire. Sunzamul Islam also retired out in a Bangladesh Premier League game between Cumilla Warriors and Chattogram Challengers, while Bhutan's Sonam Tobgay is the only player to have retired out in a T20I having done so against the Maldives in 2019.
