Mumbai Indians secured their second win of the season by defeating Gujarat Titans by a massive margin of 99 runs on Monday, April 20 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Tilak Varma was chosen as Player of the Match for his stunning 101 runs off 45 balls.
Why did Tilak Varma ask Hardik Pandya to calm down?
It was Tilak Varma's century that gave Mumbai a positive momentum and helped to reach 199/5 at the end of the first innings. However, Tilak started off with a cautious approach, scoring 19 off 22 without a single boundary. But, a hard-talk from skipper Hardik Pandya changed it all for him.
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In the death overs, Tilak accelerated his innings with amassing over 82 runs in the next 23 deliveries. The star left-handed batter fetched 26 runs off Ashok Sharma in the 18th over with the help of three sixes and two fours.
In an interaction with JioHotstar, Tilak Varma recalled how he had to ask Hardik Pandya to calm down during a strategic timeout, to keep his focus intact.
"As everyone knows, Hardik bhai is very energetic. He was charged up and kept saying, ‘You can do it, you will do it!’ to boost me. "I just asked him to calm down because I needed to stay focused, and I assured him that I would take care of the rest," recalled Tilak.
How Tilak Varma has fared so far in IPL 2026
Coming after India's T20 World Cup 2026 triumph, Tilak Varma failed to carry forward his stunning form, amassing only 43 runs in his first five innings. However, this astonishing century against a strong side like GT will help him to help his side in the later stages of the tournament with some big knocks.
Now after playing six matches, Tilak Varma has 144 runs under his belt at an average of 28.80 with a strike rate of 187.01.
Next challenge for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026
After a comeback win against GT, MI will turn their focus to face their arch rivals Chennai Super Kings in their upcoming game in IPL 2026. The game will take place Thursday, April 23 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.