'Retired Hurt': Krunal Pandya's Controversial Call During LSG's Batting vs MI Had Memes Clearing Air

In an IPL 2023 match in Lucknow on Tuesday, Marcus Stoinis boosted the Krunal Pandya-led Lucknow Super Giants with an unbeaten 89 against Mumbai Indians. Pandya played the anchor role and was batting on 49 off 42 balls at the end of the 16th over when he appeared to be hobbling. He subsequently left the field before the start of the next over, which led to confusion as to whether he was retired hurt or retired out. While it is permissible for a batter to declare himself out at any time during his innings, the exact nature of Pandya’s departure remained unclear.

Following an attempt to complete a quick single on the final delivery of the 16th over, Pandya was struck on the leg. Although he didn’t exhibit significant pain, he chose to walk back to the dressing room. Camera footage showed him limping slightly, yet he managed to climb the stairs to the dressing room while providing instructions to the dugout. While speculation about the nature of his departure continues, memes have humourously responded to the retired hurt decision made by the stand-in skipper of the LSG.

Take a look at the memes that surfaced following Pandya’s decision to leave the field:

Meanwhile, Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Indian cricketer who was providing commentary during the IPL 2023 match, suggested that Pandya’s departure may have been a tactical decision by the Super Giants, given that Pandya was batting on 49 off 42 balls at the time. Some fans also speculated that the LSG skipper may have made the decision strategically to allow Nicholas Pooran to enter the game for the last four overs.

However, following the match, Pandya clarified that he had indeed retired hurt. “I was having cramps, and I pulled a muscle,” stated the winning caption in his post-match comments.