How players and coaches are treating ‘retired out’ option as just another tactical tool in T20 cricket

Even as it continues to divide opinion, Gujarat Giants' New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine believes, at the end of the day, it's just another tool to be used in the team's interest.

UP Warriorz's Harleen Deol plays a shot during Women's Premier League (WPL) cricket match against the Delhi Capitals at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)

By: Express News Service

4 min readJan 16, 2026 09:02 PM IST First published on: Jan 16, 2026 at 09:02 PM IST

Harmanpreet Kaur may be ‘surprised’ at her India teammate Harleen Deol being retired out ahead of the last three overs of an innings, but it is becoming a legitimate tool in the shortest format of the game.

UP Warriorz’s Harleen was the second batter to be retired out in the Women’s Premier League on successive nights after Gujarat Giants’ Ayushi Soni was recalled by her team management.

Even men’s T20 cricket has seen a proliferation of such incidents. In the opening fortnight of 2026 itself, there have been six such decisions including Mohammad Rizwan in the Big Bash League game between Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Thunder.

Even as it continues to divide opinion, Gujarat Giants’ New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine believes, at the end of the day, it’s just another tool to be used in the team’s interest.

“It’s going to spark a fair bit of debate in terms of how people view it. For me, it’s just another tool and another strategic option to use,” Devine said.

Harleen Deol UP Warriorz WPL Mumbai Indians

Harleen Deol of UP Warriorz reacts during the Match 8 of the TATA Women’s Premier League 2026 between Mumbai Indians and UP Warriorz at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India, on January 15, 2026. (CREIMAS for WPL)

“At the end of the day, those decisions are always made with the team coming first and what’s going to be best for the team to be able to gain momentum. Some people will love it, some people will hate it. I think it’s a great option to be able to use.”

Communication is the key in making such contentious calls, as the batter being retired may not quite agree with the decision.

“It’s a really tricky one because I guess it’s never nice if you are retired out. But I think we will see more of it. I hope that players that do get retired out can see it in a positive light that they want to be able to contribute to the team and they’re doing what’s best for the team,” the Kiwi legend said. “But to have that as an option is something that should only be seen as a positive.”

Harmanpreet Kaur on Harleen Deol retired out WPL

Harleen Deol of UP Warriorz and Harmanpreet Kaur, Captain of Mumbai Indians during the Match 8 of the TATA Women’s Premier League 2026 between Mumbai Indians and UP Warriorz at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India, on January 15, 2026. (CREIMAS for WPL)

The thinking behind the move needs to be conveyed clearly to the batter being recalled.

“I think communication is really important and understanding the reasoning behind why you would have retired someone out,” Devine said, adding that there should be some follow-up later on about “what can be done differently and opportunities to continue to be better.”

UP Wizards’ head coach Abhishek Nayar, who took the call to bring Harleen back when she was batting on 47 off 36 against Delhi Capitals, said the tough decisions were part of his first coaching stint in women’s cricket.

“Harleen and these things happen, and things come out [and] it becomes harder for me. It’s different, it’s fun, it’s challenging, it’s testing me every which way. It’s not been easy,” the former all-rounder who has been part of the Indian team’s coaching staff and in the Kolkata Knight Riders dugout said.