New Zealand commentator Simon Doull stirred a bit of controversy by suggesting that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) should have retired Virat Kohli out in the middle of the first innings against the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026 on Sunday. Doull believed that Kohli making way for a more natural finisher in Tim David would have been beneficial to RCB when the ex-India skipper was struggling to hit boundaries.
Kohli started the knock positively, scoring 20 runs in his first 11 balls. However, as the innings went on, MI’s plans against him restricted his run flow, and he eventually got out for 50 (37) with a low strike-rate of 131.58. RCB skipper Rajat Patidar took more risks from the other end to compensate for it, scoring 53 off just 20 balls. Patidar was
hitting huge sixes when Doull floated the idea.
“Patidar should give a message to Virat saying get on with it, or we might have to sub you out,” he said on air.
Doull is being very blunt on Virat today oof
— absy (@absycric) April 12, 2026
Did simon doull just say ‘get on it or get dubbed off’ to virat kohli batting? 😂😭😭😭, used to think he was a decent commentator man
— Cap Man (@Cap_Man2) April 12, 2026
Simon Doull: Get on with it or weight have to sub you out (regarding Kohli on 39 off 30) pic.twitter.com/EBaW6wR3Da
— Vikkash S (@vikkash36) April 12, 2026
Simon Doull: “Patidar might have given Kohli a message to hit along with him or we might have to sub him out.”pic.twitter.com/xwZ1kow48l
— Shakthi (@Shakthi82463806) April 12, 2026
Kohli has never been retired out in the IPL. Low strike rate was a usual problem with him before 2024, but he has greatly improved on it since then, though Sunday would have brought those memories back.
What is tactical retiring out in cricket?
Retiring a batter who is not having a good day has become quite common in the IPL. It is simply asking the batter on the crease to return to the dugout as ‘retired’. Unlike ‘retired hurt’ when an injured batter returns to the team because they can no longer continue, a retired out batter can’t bat again in the innings.
As recently as the last match in the season, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) retired their youngster Ayush Mhatre for Shivam Dube, which worked well. There’s still a bit of taboo around it, as some consider it an insult, and a lack of trust in their abilities to change the game, even as there’s ample evidence that it’s a ruthless but effective method in T20 cricket.
