Tilak Varma: 101* | Gujarat Titans: 100 all-out

Tilak Varma: 101* | Gujarat Titans: 100 all-out

By Mumbai Indians

We know our STARBOY is special. We know he’s capable of turning mountains when his time comes. He turned it around for himself. He turned it around for the Mumbai Indians. He’s turned it around for 2026.

First 22 balls: 19 runs

Next 23 balls: 82 runs

🔥🔥

The TV is officially turned ON. 📺🔛

MI had never beaten Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. MI were on a four-match losing streak. MI were 44/3 in the powerplay. Tilak Varma hadn’t been among the runs so far. But in the next couple of hours, everything was set right. A century, a W at the Narendra Modi Stadium, and the start of the MI mid-season storm! 👊

What more, a superb bowling show with Ashwani Kumar picking up four and Mitch Santner and Allah Ghazanfar sharing two each, the Titans were skittled out for 100, a run lesser than what Tilak alone smashed. 🫡

“The kind of talent Tilak has, he really does not need to worry about a lot. So the only message I kept telling him was that you’re gonna just watch the ball and hit the ball irrespective of what, because I genuinely believe the kind of ball striking from his bat is something really special. It was about time that he kind of comes and delivers… it was much needed for the group. It was much needed for Tilak. It was much needed for Mumbai Indians. And as a captain as well, that kind of energy only changes things around,” said skipper Hardik Pandya at the end of the game.

“I was just thinking that this game, I want to spend time in the centre of the wicket. So that’s what I thought. If you see the first 20 balls, I was just going ball by ball. I was just batting. And later on, once I had faced a few balls on the wicket, I know what I am capable of, and I have done that,” said Tilak while speaking in the post-match presentation on receiving the Player of the Match award.

That’s right. We. Are. Back. Officially. As we come back home for the next two games, it’s nice to put another monkey off our backs. 💙