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Mumbai Indians' (MI) broke their four-match losing run in the ongoing IPL 2026 as they crushed hosts Gujarat Titans (GT) by 99 runs at the Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi stadium on April 20.
MI first rode Tilak Varma's maiden yet historic IPL ton to post a big total of 199/5. In reply, Ashwani Kumar did the rest to break Gujarat's back with his fiery four-fer to eventually bundle the Shubman Gill-led side to 100.
MI will next face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 23 while GT will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 24.
Gujarat Titans' disastrous run chase
Chasing a stiff target of 200 runs for victory, GT endured a disastrous start to their innings. The collapse began on the very first delivery when Jasprit Bumrah dismissed opener Sai Sudharsan for a golden duck. The pressure mounted quickly in the following over as skipper Hardik Pandya trapped wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler LBW for just five runs, leaving Gujarat reeling at 19/2. Despite reaching 35/2 after four overs, the Titans lost captain Shubman Gill for 14 to Ashwani Kumar in the fifth over, limping to 45/3 by the end of the powerplay.
Ashwani Kumar breaks GT's back
Gujarat’s woes deepened as the innings progressed. Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner inflicted a double blow in the eighth over, removing Washington Sundar for 26 and Glenn Phillips for 6, which reduced the side to 56/5. By the halfway mark, the hosts were struggling at 71/5. The slide continued as Ashwani Kumar dismissed Rahul Tewatia for eight, dragging the score to 79/6 by the 11th over. Ashwani further tightened the grip on the match in the 13th over, striking twice in quick succession to claim the wickets of Rashid Khan and Shahrukh Khan, leaving Gujarat in tatters at 86/8.
The inevitable conclusion arrived in the 16th over when AM Ghazanfar produced a double strike of his own, removing Kagiso Rabada for 12 and Mohammed Siraj for a duck. Gujarat was bowled out for exactly 100 runs, handing the Mumbai Indians a comprehensive 99-run victory in a highly one-sided contest. It was a dominant collective effort from the Mumbai bowlers; Ashwani Kumar was the standout performer with a four-wicket haul (4/24), while Ghazanfar and Santner provided excellent support, claiming two wickets each.
Tilak Varma's maiden ton leaves Gujarat in tatters
Earlier, MI posted a formidable total of 199/5 against GT, driven by a spectacular maiden IPL century from Tilak Varma. While the five-time champions faced a rocky start due to an aggressive opening spell from Kagiso Rabada, Varma’s explosive late-innings heroics completely shifted the momentum, turning a potential collapse into a dominant batting display.
Sent into bat, Mumbai Indians were put on the back foot immediately by Gujarat’s bowling attack. Kagiso Rabada dismantled the top order, dismissing opener Danish Malewar for just two runs in the second over. Although MI managed to reach 21/1 by the third over, Rabada returned to remove the in-form Quinton de Kock for 13. By the end of the sixth over, Suryakumar Yadav was clean bowled by Rabada for 15, leaving the team reeling at 46/3 at the close of the powerplay. Faced with a crisis, Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma began the arduous task of rebuilding the innings, guiding the team to 75/3 by the 10th over. The pair steadily neutralized the pressure until the 13th over, when Prasidh Krishna struck to remove Dhir. Dhir’s departure for a brisk 45 off 32 deliveries—highlighted by six boundaries and a six—slowed the scoring momentarily, with the team reaching 126/4 after 16 overs.
With the platform set, Mumbai shifted gears for a blistering finale. Tilak Varma and captain Hardik Pandya launched a ruthless assault in the final stages of the innings. They capitalized on the bowling, taking 15 runs from Rashid Khan in the 17th over before dismantling Ashok Sharma for 26 runs in the 18th, a surge that propelled Mumbai to their final competitive total.
The acceleration phase proved pivotal, pushing the Mumbai Indians to 167/4 as Tilak Varma reached a well-deserved half-century off just 33 balls. He and skipper Hardik Pandya forged a dangerous 81-run partnership that completely flipped the script for the visitors. This valuable stand was eventually broken in the 19th over when Mohammed Siraj claimed the wicket of Pandya for 15, leaving the scoreboard at 177/5.
Tilak saved his most destructive hitting for the final over of the innings. He unleashed an assault on Prasidh Krishna, plundering 22 runs off his final over to bring up a sensational maiden IPL century off only 45 balls. His blistering, unbeaten 101, a masterclass that featured eight boundaries and seven massive sixes, anchored the remarkable comeback and provided a daunting total to defend. On the bowling front for GT, Kagiso Rabada stood out as the most effective threat, leading the attack with impressive figures of 3/33. Mohammed Siraj maintained excellent discipline throughout his spell, finishing with 1/25, while Prasidh Krishna found it difficult to contain the onslaught in the closing stages, ending his quota with 1/54.
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