If it is wrong to retire the recitation, it is guilty to hit him number 4

We all will agree, that retiring out Tilak Varma in the MI vs LSG encounter was a poor decision. But what really is baffling is, given his current form, he continues to bat at No. 4 for Mumbai Indians, when they are clearly struggling with their top 3. Rohit Sharma has 56 runs in the 5 matches he has played; Ryan Rickelton has 149 to his name, and Will Jacks has 54 in 5.

On the other hand, Tilak Varma is scoring runs rather consistently and even got to his second fifty of the IPL 2025, against DC on Sunday in just 26 deliveries, after also scoring 31, 39 and 25. IS he doing anything wrong in not getting that promotion, or is MI just too fixated on Rohit Sharma opening the innings for the team?

Well, it clearly seems, it’s the latter. Batting at No. 4 means that MI’s one of the most consistent batter is getting, usually under 10 overs to really change the game, and that is clearly not enough, batting first, or even while chasing. In the DC match, he came to bat in the eighth over, when the team was 75/2.. and had he come in a little earlier, he perhaps could have accelerated more.

Radical Changes Needed for Mumbai Indians

Yes, Suryakumar has more runs than Tilak, but then at No. 3, he can just go on to repeat what he does for Team India. There also, it is skipper Surya, who usually occupies the No. 4 spot, so why not with MI. In an ideal world, Mumbai need to take a few radical steps, where perhaps Jacks and Rickelton open, followed by Tilak and Surya, and Rohit as an impact player at No. 5, if the need arises. IF not, then he could be kept out also.

But then it just won’t be an easy call to keep Rohit out. And Tilak might not bat at No. 3 too, after al.