Meaning and Rule Behind Ravi Ashwin’s ‘Retired Out’ Dismissal During RR vs LSG Match in IPL 2022

Ravichandran Ashwin was the talking point of yesterday’s Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants IPL game. The all-rounder, who had come into bat ahead of Riyan Parag, retired himself out after the second ball of the 19th over to allow a new batter to come in and score some crucial runs in the end. This move, a first in the IPL, drew instant praise from fans and was deemed as something done with logic. This was also surprising to many fans, who were perhaps unaware of the fact that such a rule exists. ‘Ravi Ashwin is Sheldon Cooper of Cricket’- Retired Out Funny Memes Go Viral After R Ashwin Becomes First Batsman To Get Retired Out in IPL History, Check Twitter Reactions

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So what does the rule say about Ashwin’s ‘Retired Out’ tactic? A batter is permitted as per the rules, to be ‘retired out’. The rule on this states, “A batter may retire at any time during his/her innings when the ball is dead. The umpires, before allowing play to proceed, shall be informed of the reason for a batter retiring.”

According to MCC Law 25.4.3, “if a batter retires for any reason other than as in 25.4.2 (retires because of illness, injury or any other unavoidable cause), the innings of that batter may be resumed only with the consent of the opposing captain. If for any reason his/her innings is not resumed, that batter is to be recorded as ‘Retired Out’. So this move was completely within the rules and something that even has the ICC foreseeing about this becoming quite regular in T20 cricket.

What Is Retired Out in Cricket? Know Meaning and Rule Behind Ravi Ashwin’s Dismissal During RR vs LSG Match in IPL 2022

The tactical decision by Ashwin worked for Rajasthan Royals. who eventually went on to the game by just three runs. Ashwin had scored 28 runs off 23 balls before walking off the field and later, it was revealed that this decision was made by the team.  Parag, who came out to bat after Ashwin, scored eight runs from four deliveries.

Ashwin thus became the fourth batter in T20 history to be retired out. First ‘Mankading’ and now ‘retired out’, Ashwin surely has made some heads turn with his unpredictability in the IPL over the years. And we surely can expect more of these unconventional moves from him in the coming seasons as well!