Some will love it, some will hate it - Sophie Devine on 'retired out' option

Over the last two days in the Women's Premier League, two players have been dismissed retired out - a debutant Ayushi Soni by Gujarat Giants and a senior player Harleen Deol by UP Warriorz. This form of dismissal is part of a larger trend that has emerged across T20 tournaments around the world, with as many as 8 players being retired in the first 14 days of 2026 (in SA20, BBL, WPL and Super Smash).

"It's going to spark a fair bit of debate in terms of how people view it," Devine admitted on Thursday, before adding. "For me, it's just another tool and another strategic option to use - to be able to retire people out. 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. But I think it's a great option to be able to use. 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. I guess we will see more of it."

With a rise in power-hitters in the women's game, and the ability to find phase-specific players in the premier T20 leagues, what's largely been a trend in the men's game so far, will infiltrate more often even in the women's cricket.

"We're obviously starting to see it a little bit more in the men's game as well and I think the women's game will follow suit. It is really interesting to see how different teams will use it, but to have that as an option is something that should only be seen as a positive."

Over the last couple of weeks, it's not just been the case of batters who are struggling who have been retired out, but also those who are not the best suited for certain phases of play - case in point being Roston Chase being taken out for Sherfane Rutherford in SA20 - having to end their innings. This idea goes against the conventional cricket logic of settled batters in the middle being better suited to accelerate than those who walk in fresh. But given T20 cricket's evolution - which prepares certain batters to hit from Ball 1 - the call to retire players has its own merits in the shortest format.

However, these decisions have not necessarily given the desired result as often as teams would have liked for their edgy punt. Case in point being Harleen's retirement leading to drop in the scoring rate for UP Warriorz in the death overs against Delhi Capitals.

"You're not always going to get it right and that's just like any decision in cricket, whether that be the bowler that you bring on or the shot that you choose to play," Devine admitted. "There's always going to be times where it comes off and it doesn't come off and that's just part and parcel of playing a game. [But] we will see it (retired out), come into the game more and more. The exciting thing is how teams want to use it and the impact that it can have.

"Obviously, we don't have the impact player rule. I'm probably more so a fan of being able to retire people out rather than having an impact player because I like the idea that you can do all skills or certainly bat and still be able to go on the field. I think it will become more and more common."

"Communication is really important and understanding the reasoning behind why you would have retired someone out," she said. "I think that's what Klinger did - go up and speak to Ayushi around the reasoning why he made that decision.

"For me, it's for the benefit of the team and putting the team first and what the team requires. That needs to be really well communicated and making sure that there's some follow-up, later on after the game or the next day to explain again what can be done differently and opportunities to continue to be better.

"Communication is so key, and it's not just in retiring players out. There's a lot of areas where I feel like clear communication can certainly help players have clarity around their role and what's required for them at different game situations," she concluded.

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