Tilak Varma slams 56-ball 136 in run chase of 259, outshines RR's benched young star's 48-ball 142

A day after leading India A to tri-series final win against Sri Lanka A, India’s new T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma warmed up for the UK tour with an unbeaten 136-run knock in successful run chase of 259. Varma, who is the most expensive player in TG20 League 2026 at Rs 33 lakh, led Medak Falcons to a thrilling win against Warangal Warriors by three wickets with two balls to spare. Warriors’ opener Aman Rao Perala's 48-ball 142 went in vain. 

Batting first, Warangal Warriors posted 258/7. Rao, who was benched for the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 by Rajasthan Royals (RR), hit 13 sixes and 12 fours in his 48-ball 142. He reached his century from just 32 balls. Apart from him, opener Harshit Choudhary and Murugan Abhishek contributed with cameos.

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In the run chase, Varma had to walk out early to bat after Naman Agarwal's early dismissal. Wickets kept falling on the other end but Varma marched on, leading the run chase. He reached his century from just 43 balls. Later in the innings, he got support from Vikram Naik Guguloth's 12-ball 27 cameo. Varma remained not out for a 56-ball 136, taking Medal Falcons over the line with two balls to spare. His knock was laced with 14 fours and seven sixes.

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A total of 517 runs were scored in the high-scoring Telangana T20 League 2026 encounter. It is the joint third-highest aggregate in T20 history even though state T20 leagues' records don't count when it comes all-time T20 records.

Who is Aman Rao Perala?

Rao had made headlines when he scored a double century against Bengal in Ranji Trophy 2025-26. The Bengal bowling attack included the likes of Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar. He showed good signs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025-26, scoring 301 runs from 11 innings, averaging 33.44 with a strike rate of 162.70. He was picked by RR for Rs 30 lakh in the mini-auction. India’s legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin mentioned his name in one of his YouTube shows saying that the batter is talented but is unlikely to get a chance in the presence of menacing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Varma to leave TG20 early

Varma is set to travel with the T20I squad to Ireland for two-T20I series that commences on June 26 in Belfast. The Ireland tour will be followed by a five-T20I series against England.