Mumbai Indians' (MI) star batter Tilak Varma roared back into form on April 20, cracking a stunning unbeaten century against Gujarat Titans (GT) in their IPL 2026 clash in Ahmedabad. With his side struggling early on at 44/3 within the first 5.5 overs, Varma anchored the innings to guide the Mumbai Indians to a competitive total of 199/5.
Tilak Varma hits join-fastest fifty for MI
It was a tale of two halves for the 23-year-old. Initially, he struggled to find his timing, laboring to 19 runs off 22 balls. However, he underwent a remarkable transformation, smashing 82 runs off his next 23 deliveries to shift the momentum decisively. Finishing with an unbeaten 101 off just 45 balls, at an explosive strike rate of 224.44, Varma’s knock included eight boundaries and seven sixes, marking a significant turnaround after he had managed only 43 runs across his previous five outings.
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This performance saw Varma equal the record for the joint-fastest IPL century by a Mumbai Indians player, matching Sanath Jayasuriya’s 2008 feat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). His effort was supported by valuable contributions from his teammates, including a crucial 81-run partnership with captain Hardik Pandya and a solid 45-run contribution from Naman Dhir, which collectively propelled the team to their final total.
While Mumbai innings ended on a high note, the Gujarat Titans' bowling attack had initially dominated the powerplay. Kagiso Rabada was the standout performer for the home side, claiming three early wickets that put the Mumbai batters on the back foot. Though Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj each chipped in with a wicket, they were ultimately unable to contain Varma’s late-innings assault.
In reply, GT's batting was nothing short of a disaster as they were bundled out for mere 100 runs to hand MI a massive 99-run win, which also ended their four-match losing streak.
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI):
Danish Malewar, Quinton de Kock(w), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya(c), Tilak Varma, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Krish Bhagat, Jasprit Bumrah, AM Ghazanfar
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI):
Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Ashok Sharma