Mumbai Indians needed a moment. They got a masterpiece. Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 101 off 45 balls dragged MI from the wreckage of 103 for 4 in the 14th over and powered them to 199 for 5, before their bowlers skittled Gujarat Titans for just 100 to complete a stunning 99-run victory and end a four-match losing streak.
It was the joint-quickest century in MI’s history, equalling Sanath Jayasuriya’s 45-ball effort from the inaugural IPL season in 2008. What makes it more remarkable is that Tilak had not hit a single boundary in his first 20 balls. The 82 runs he scored in the final six overs is the most anyone has ever managed in that phase of an IPL innings.
GT’s Bowlers Set the Platform
Gujarat Titans came out with their Test-match instincts fully intact. Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj bowled full, straight and fast through the powerplay, and the wickets tumbled. Rabada removed Danish Malewar, Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav, two of those dismissals coming off deliveries clocked above 150kph. MI were 44 for 3 and in serious trouble early.
Naman Dhir steadied things from number three with a combative 45 off 32 balls, taking on Washington Sundar when the off-spinner was bowling like a medium-pacer and keeping MI’s innings alive. But when Prasidh Krishna had him caught with a short ball, it was 103 for 4 and GT appeared firmly in control.
Tilak Varma Rewrites the Record Books for Mumbai Indians
What followed was extraordinary. Prasidh abandoned his short-ball plan in the 15th over and bowled full, repeatedly, and Tilak punished him for 16 runs. Rashid Khan overpitched and was dispatched for four and six. The 18th over, bowled by Ashok Sharma, went for 22 as Tilak upper-cut, ramped and drove his way to a score that seemed impossible ten overs earlier. By the time Prasidh’s final over arrived, Tilak pulled him for six, then tucked a high full-toss over long leg for another, and finished the innings with a pulled four to bring up his hundred off the last ball.
He finished with 101 not out. Gujarat Titans were bowled out for 100. The symmetry was brutal.
Bumrah Finally Breaks His Wicket Drought
The bowling performance that followed was almost as remarkable. Jasprit Bumrah had gone six IPL matches without a wicket, his longest drought in the format. He took the new ball for the first time this season and had Sai Sudharsan caught at cover point with his very first delivery. The monkey was off his back, and MI’s bowlers fed off the energy.
Hardik Pandya had Jos Buttler lbw, Shubman Gill played a limp pull to make it three GT top-order wickets in the powerplay for the first time in 21 matches. Mitchell Santner removed Washington Sundar and Glenn Phillips in the same over. Ashwani Kumar and AM Ghazanfar mopped up the tail, with Ghazanfar ending the innings by dismissing Siraj and Rabada in consecutive balls.
GT were bowled out for 100, one run fewer than Tilak scored alone. For Mumbai Indians, after four defeats in a row, it was the kind of win that reminds a team exactly what they are capable of.
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