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.

She also emphasised the importance of players understanding the team-first philosophy behind such decisions. "I hope that players who do get retired out can see that and see it in a positive light that they want to be able to contribute to the team, and they're doing what's best for the team.

“So it's a really tricky one because I guess it's never nice, but we will see more of it. We're obviously starting to see a little bit more in the men's game as well, and I think the women's game will follow suit."

"In saying that, if players are able to play at a good strike rate, you probably don't need to use it as much. So it is really interesting to see how different teams will use it, but I think to have that as an option is something that should only be seen as a positive," she said.

Acknowledging that not every retire out decision would prove to be correct, Sophie said, "You're not always going to get it right, and that's just like any decision in cricket, whether that be the bowler that you bring on or the shot that you choose to play, there's always going to be times where it comes off and it doesn't come off, and that's I guess just part and parcel of playing a game."

"We will see it come into the game more and more. But that's the great thing in seeing how teams use it and how they see it being of benefit to them is going to alter slightly, and that's, I guess, the exciting thing is how teams want to use it."

Sophie further revealed her preference for the retire-out rule over the Impact Player rule used in men’s T20 leagues. "We don't have the impact player, which I'm probably more of a fan of being able to retire people out rather than having an impact player, because I like the idea that you can do all skills, or certainly bat, and still be able to go on the field.

So it will be something that will become more and more common."

When asked about the best approach to handling players who are retired out, Sophie stressed the critical role of clear communication before and after such decisions are taken.

"If I knew the best way to do it, I'm sure there'd be a lot of other people who would take it up absolutely. I think communication is really important, and understanding the reasoning behind why you would have retired someone out.

I think that's what Maxy Klinger did, go up and speak to Ayushi about the reasoning why he made that decision."

"For me, as I said earlier, it's for the benefit of the team and putting the team first and what the team requires. So I think that needs to be really well communicated and making sure that there's some follow-up later on after the game or the next day, to explain again what can be done differently and opportunities to continue to be better."

"But I just think communication is so key, and it's not just in retiring players out. There are a lot of areas where I feel like clear communication can certainly help players have clarity around their role and what's required for them at different game situations," she said.

Sophie also made a compelling case for adjusting fielding restrictions and boundary dimensions in women's cricket, arguing that current conditions have tilted the balance too far in favour of batters.

"There needs to be a serious look at the four fielders out rule. We are pretty close to going in line with the men and having five fielders out on the boundary. We've all seen the power that the women's game has now, and that I don't think having five fielders out would be a hindrance to the possibility and opportunities to score more runs."

"I also think the same about boundary sizes. Here they're fractionally too small. I mean, people are clearing the road by a long, long way, and the balance is distorted towards batters, especially when you're playing on wickets that are so flat and offering not too much for the bowlers."

Acknowledging her dual perspective as both batter and bowler, Devine feels the aforementioned specific changes would benefit the format. "So it's a hard one because I'm an all-rounder and as a batter, I love it - short boundaries and only four fielders out playing on absolute roads. But as a bowler, it's extremely challenging.

“So I do think that there needs to be a shift, and there are really easy wins that you can get there in terms of the five fielders out making a minimum boundary size, which should be around at least the 60-yard distance for me."

Acknowledging her dual perspective as both batter and bowler, Devine feels the aforementioned specific changes would benefit the format. "So it's a hard one because I'm an all-rounder and as a batter, I love it - short boundaries and only four fielders out playing on absolute roads. But as a bowler, it's extremely challenging.

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"It sort of just becomes a bit of a highlights reel. So, there are some real opportunities there to make a little bit of a shift and ensure that it's still something that people want to watch. Yes, scoring boundaries is exciting, but I think cricket's a bit more nuanced than that," she concluded.

Article Source: IANS