Maxy klinger

DY Patil Stadium: Gujarat Giants (GG) all-rounder Sophie Devine has thrown her weight behind the recent surge in ‘retire out’ dismissals, which allows teams to strategically withdraw batters during an innings, adding that the rule should be viewed as a legitimate tactical weapon for teams to gain momentum in the match.

The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 has seen GG batter Ayushi Soni and UP Warriorz's Harleen Deol being retired out. In 2026, eight retire-outs have been recorded across men’s and women’s T20 leagues so far. "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 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. So some people will love it, some people will hate it. I think it's a great option to be able to use," Devine told reporters in a virtual interaction on Thursday.