Gujarat Giants’ Ayushi Soni became the first player in WPL history to be retired out during their clash against Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, marking a watershed moment in women’s franchise cricket.
This marked only the second such dismissal in women’s franchise T20 cricket, following Kathryn Bryce’s retirement for Manchester Originals in the Women’s Hundred 2024, and the seventh instance in 2026 of a player being retired out in T20 cricket.
The calendar year has already seen six retired outs in men’s T20s, including two in the same Super Smash innings and notably Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan for Melbourne Renegades against Sydney Thunder in the BBL on Monday.
Ayushi Soni – WPL 2026 Statistics
This was Ayushi’s debut match in the WPL, and she was previously part of the Supernovas franchise in the Women’s T20 Challenge. She earned her maiden call-up to play for India for their limited-overs matches against South Africa.
| Tournament | Team | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPL | GG-W | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 11.00 | 14 | 78.57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The 25-year-old opening batter, making her WPL debut after replacing injured Anushka Sharma, walked out at No. 6 and struggled to find her rhythm on the big stage. Facing 14 deliveries for just 11 runs without hitting a single boundary, Soni’s innings was abruptly ended at the conclusion of the 16th over with the Giants positioned at 136 for 5. The decision, made during a strategic timeout in the 13th over, was designed to inject firepower during the crucial death overs.
“We spoke to Ayushi and Georgia about that in the 13-over timeout, and spoke to Ayushi about really lifting her rate once we get to the 15th over,” explained Giants head coach Michael Klinger post-match. “We knew we had some batters left. After that 16th over, that was the time to inject Bharti with four overs to go.”
The gamble paid dividends. Bharti Fulmali, who replaced Soni, smashed an unbeaten 36 off just 15 balls with three fours and three sixes, partnering with Georgia Wareham in a 56-run stand that propelled Gujarat to 192 for 5, approximately 20 runs more than anticipated without the tactical switch.
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What is Retired Out in Cricket?
Retired out is a legitimate dismissal method in cricket where a batter voluntarily leaves the field during an innings with their team’s consent, typically for tactical reasons. Unlike retired hurt, where a player exits due to injury and can return, retired out is a permanent dismissal counted in the scorecard. This strategic move allows teams to accelerate scoring by replacing a struggling batter with a more aggressive option during crucial phases.
