Retired out in last match, Harleen Deol answered the only way she could

Sophie Devine, the Gujarat Giants all-rounder, commented on the frequent use of 'retired out' recently: "If players are able to stay at a good strike rate, you probably don't need to use it as much."

Hours later, UP Warriorz faced Mumbai Indians, and Harleen Deol was on the charge from the start. She cut Nat Sciver-Brunt for a boundary off the first ball, drove Amelia Kerr for another, and cut a third boundary in three balls. She continued attacking, capitalizing on width offered by Mumbai's bowlers, en route to an unbeaten 39-ball 64—only the second Indian to score a half-century this WPL season. Her innings propelled UP Warriorz to chase down Mumbai Indians' total with 11 balls to spare, securing their first win of the season.

This redemption came just over 24 hours after Harleen was visibly upset when asked to retire out in the previous match. At the end of the 17th over, coach Abhishek Nayar signaled for her to retire, aiming to accelerate with power hitters. Harleen, on 47 off 36 balls, was taken aback, but the team managed only 13 runs off the last 18 balls afterward.

Harleen downplayed the decision's impact, saying, "Nothing different [about my approach]. I just got a few boundary balls, so I could convert. Sometimes it's just your day." She added, "Yesterday gave me a lot of confidence. The first two games didn't go my way. I was trying to overhit, but this wicket rewards timing."

Coach Nayar explained the decision wasn't spontaneous: "The conversation started around the 12th over. We communicated to Harleen that if we don't get going till the 16th or 17th, we'll look for a change. She knew it was a possibility. In hindsight, the team felt it was the right decision."

Nayar praised Harleen's team spirit: "Just after walking in, she said, 'Sir, we can win this game.' It's easy when a player thinks team, not me. Post that, conversations were about how we can make a difference today. We listened more than we talked to ensure she was okay."

As retiring out normalizes in T20s, tactics will erode the stigma. But for now, Harleen's match-winning knock stands as a redemption story.