Retired out in cricket: What is retired out in cricket? Why R Ashwin retired out in RR vs LSG IPL 2022 match?

Retired out in cricket: The ace spinner from Rajasthan Royals opted to return to the pavilion without getting out tonight.

During the 20th match of the ongoing 15th season of the Indian Premier League between Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium, Rajasthan Royals spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (28) became the first-ever cricketer to retire out in the history of the tournament.

Coming in to bat at No. 6 at the halfway mark, Ashwin played a vital role in a 65-run partnership for the fifth wicket alongside batter Shimron Hetmyer (59*).

It was in the 16th over that Ashwin attacked his counterpart Krishnappa Gowtham to hit a couple of sixes off successive deliveries. All in all, the 35-year old player rotated the strike well to stitch a rescue act after RR had lost four wickets for 25 runs between overs 5-10.

Right after hitting an Avesh Khan delivery for a single in the penultimate over of the innings, Ashwin continued to run towards the dugout to surprise one and all. It took a few moments to realize that Ashwin won’t return to bat as he has “retired out”.

A pioneering act, fans might witness other batters following Ashwin to retire out in a bid to allow a big-hitter or an in-form batter time in the middle especially in the death overs. Considering the rate of growth of innovative decisions in these formats, an outright tactical decision of “retiring out” is quite certain to become a normal in the years to come.

Not a masterstroke in terms of result, Ashwin’s move did reap some fruits as his replacement Riyan Parag (8) managed to hit Jason Holder for a six in the final over.

Twitter reactions on R Ashwin Retired out in cricket:

For more cricket-related news, click here.