“Both Shardul’s spell and Tilak’s innings deserve equal credit,” said Jasprit Bumrah at the post-match presentation when asked what was the turning point in the game.

Let’s talk Shardul Thakur first. A four-fer, breaking the back of the Punjab Kings’ middle-order. Tilak Varma’s innings was a masterclass in playing the waiting game and pouncing when the time was right. In the end, it was a game that kept switching hands, with no side being out of it for too long.

“There were too many ups and downs in this game,” said Shardul at the post-match press conference. “In the powerplay we started really well but the backend of the powerplay and the start of the middle overs, there were a few runs flowing. We were able to pull them back then after that. And then there were some runs scored in the death overs.”

“Same with our batting, we had a good start in the powerplay, then we struggled, and then we picked up pace. The tempo was constantly changing. As bowlers it’s very difficult to keep coming back because suddenly there is a shift in tempo, and you have to think what your shut down options are. Then suddenly when one or two wickets fall, you are looking for wickets. There were too many switches in the game. Bowlers had to shift their mindset quite a lot. For batters, it was a patience game where they wait for loose deliveries and then try and convert.”

But in the end, it came down to that 56-run partnership that came off just 20 balls that was the difference. Tilak found a more than able partner in Will Jacks. Both batters kept the boundaries coming, matched each other stroke for stroke, and saw MI home in a tense chase.  

“To be honest, Will’s innings really helped finish the game,” said Tilak in his Player of the Match speech. “The way he played, I just said to him: hold your shape and wait for the slower ones because the ball is flying here. If they bowl quick ones and you blindly swing, if it just hits the bat, it’s going. So wait for that slower one - that’s the only ball we were actually slightly struggling to hit the sixes. So he held his shape well, got a few sixes, and they were under pressure.”

“We probably ended up giving 20 runs more than we intended to,” said Shardul. “But kudos to Tilak for the way he held his nerve and spent time in the middle, looked to bat all 20 overs. He selected his balls, his areas where he needed to hit his shots. (Ryan) Rickelton, the way he provided us with a start in the powerplay, and then Jacksy (Will Jacks) as well supporting Tilak in the end with big hits was very encouraging to see.”

The race to the playoffs might have ended, but this win once again showed the world what MI Pride and the MI Spirit is all about! 💙