Monday night at the Wankhede Stadium gave fans a high-scoring thriller as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) edged past Mumbai Indians (MI) by 12 runs in Match 20 of IPL 2025. But while the game delivered on entertainment it also reignited questions around Mumbai's decision-making especially when it comes to Tilak Varma.

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Tilak was the top-scorer for MI smashing 56 runs at a blazing strike rate of 193.10. Despite his effort MI couldn’t chase down RCB’s 221-run total and fell short finishing at 209/9. The loss marks MI’s fourth defeat in five games a worrying sign early in the season.

But what really had fans talking wasn’t just the result. It was Tilak’s recent "retired out" call in MI’s previous match against Lucknow Super Giants a move that caught everyone off guard.

Back then Tilak walked off mid-innings making way for New Zealand National Cricket Team captain Mitchell Santner. The decision stirred controversy with fans questioning why one of MI’s brightest young stars was taken off during a chase.

Hardik Pandya the MI captain finally addressed the confusion after the RCB game. Speaking about the controversy, he said:

"Tilak was fantastic. Last game, a lot of things happened. People made a lot of things about it but people don't know that he had a very nasty hit the previous day. It was a tactical call but because of the finger which he had, the coach just felt that that was a better option that someone fresh can come and do it."

Read More : IPL 2025: MI vs RCB - Who Said What After the Thriller at Wankhede?

Hardik was full of praise for Tilak's performance on Monday adding:

"Today, he was fantastic. In this sort of games, powerplays are very crucial. Couple of overs we were not able to get in the middle, that put us back in the chase. It comes down to execution in the death - we were not able to play those balls."