Ayushi Soni Becomes 1st Player To Retire Out In WPL

Ayushi Soni made her mark in history by retiring the first player out in the Women’s Premier League, known as the WPL. This went down in history as the Gujarat Giants took on the Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium.

Ayushi Soni’s First Appearance & Performance in Women’s

Debuting in the WPL, Ayushi Soni was supposed to bat at number 6, but she struggled to accelerate. She could score 11 runs from 14 deliveries, which did not help her to score even a single four. Realizing the score of the Gujarat Giants is 135/5 after the 16th over, the team management retired Ayushi Soni.

Only Second Such Incident in Women’s Franchise T20 Leagues

Only two retirements have happened in women’s franchise T20 cricket so far, and one of them was of Ayushi Soni. The other retirement happened in 2024 when Kathryn Bryce retired out while playing for Manchester Originals in The Hundred against Northern Superchargers.

Selection Change Because of Injury

Soni replaced Anushka Sharma in the playing eleven of Gujarat Giants. Anushka was left out of the match as she had sustained a minor injury while fielding in the previous match of GG vs Delhi Capitals.

Bharti Fulmali’s Explosive Impact After Soni’s Exit

After Ayushi Soni retired Ayushi Soni was retired out, Bharti Fulmali came to bat and overcame not one but two close lbw calls through successful reviews. Then she started her counter-attacking innings by scoring an undefeated 36 off only 15 deliveries, including three fours and three sixes. Her unbroken 56-run partnership with Georgia Wareham upticked Gujarat Giants to a total of 192-5.

Rising Trend of ‘Retired Out’ in T20 Cricket

The tactic of retiring batsmen is increasingly being used in the game of T20 cricket. There have been six retired outs already in men’s T20 matches, just 13 days into the new year.

This also happened in the same game when there were two retired outs in the same innings, during the Super Smash match played between the teams of New Zealand. It happened to the likes of Mohammad Rizwan during the Big Bash League match between Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Thunder.

Why Ayushi Soni’s Moment Matters?

Ayushi Soni’s retirement, especially, draws attention to the kind of strategic approach that has come to be valued by T20 cricket, as momentum has increasingly come to be favored over milestones. Ayushi Soni’s record-breaking achievement within the WPL emphasizes how women’s cricket continues to be a pioneer by introducing progressive strategic moves.