Tilak Varma powered Mumbai Indians to a commanding win in Ahmedabad, finishing unbeaten on 101 to register his maiden IPL hundred and snap the visitors’ four-match losing run. Against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, MI looked stuck in the same uncomfortable pattern early on, but Varma’s late acceleration carried them to 199/5. Gujarat then struggled to get going in reply and were bowled out for 100 in 15.5 overs, suffering a 99-run defeat—also their worst loss by runs in IPL play.
Match in phases: vZpKp2JeEMK
Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 199/5 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 101* off 45, Naman Dhir 45 off 32; Kagiso Rabada 3/33, Mohammed Siraj 1/25) beat Gujarat Titans 100 in 15.5 overs (Ashwani Kumar 4/24, Mitchell Santner 2/16) by 99 runs
Rabada sets the tone in the Powerplay
Mumbai Indians arrived in Ahmedabad to face another difficult surface, and Shubman Gill opted to bowl first. That decision initially felt like a problem for MI, but Kagiso Rabada quickly delivered the breakthrough, peppering the Powerplay with pace—including his fastest ball clocking 152.1 kph, even as it seemed he may have been checking the accuracy of the speed-gun.
Despite any calibration suggestion, the execution was clear. Rabada struck IPL debutant Danish Malewar in front, forced Quinton de Kock to edge high on a pull attempt, and then dismissed Suryakumar Yadav with a sharp nip-backer that uprooted two stumps. MI were reduced to 46 for 3 after six overs, and the chase of a competitive total looked increasingly troublesome.
Who steadied the innings?
Naman Dhir became the anchor when MI needed one. Batting with one-drop protection, he stopped the scoring rate from collapsing further and rebuilt the innings with controlled aggression. Dhir struck two boundaries off Ashok Sharma in the seventh over, then took on Washington Sundar by smashing a six and following it with a four in the 11th.
However, Dhir’s stay ended in the 13th over when Prasidh Krishna dismissed him. Still, his 45 off 32 mattered, giving Tilak Varma enough time at the other end to settle and gradually take over.
An innings of two contrasting halves
Once Dhir was out in the 13th over, Tilak was on 16 off 18. He inched to 19 off 22 after Ashok Sharma’s five-run 14th over left MI at 103 for 4, setting up a crucial phase of the innings.
Then came the Strategic Time Out, and it appeared to shift the momentum. Tilak struck Prasidh for 19 in the next over to launch the surge. Rabada briefly steadied the contest with a four-run over, finishing with figures of 3/33.
Varma then attacked Rashid Khan, smashing a six and cutting away an overcompensating short delivery for four. Ashok’s subsequent over turned into a highlight reel: Tilak struck a short ball over point for six, scooped the next to fine leg for four, drove one over mid-off, and then launched another beyond midwicket. He raced from 49 to 75 in just five balls with a sequence of 6,4,4,6,6.
From there, he kept the pressure on, dismantling Prasidh again with a 22-run final over. Tilak completed his maiden IPL hundred off 45 balls. After scoring 19 from his first 22 deliveries, he exploded for 82 more off the subsequent 23. MI then added 77 in their last five overs to finish with 199.
Bumrah ends the drought as MI take control
Jasprit Bumrah’s final IPL wicket had not arrived for 147 deliveries — and his last strike in that stretch had also come against Gujarat Titans, during last year’s Eliminator. After going through six matches without a wicket, he found one with the first ball of MI’s bowling innings after being given the opening over.
Bumrah generated movement away from left-hander Sai Sudharsan, who initially looked set before mistiming a tame chance to cover. That breakthrough opened the innings for MI. Hardik Pandya was next to go, trapped lbw Jos Buttler. Soon after, the Titans’ chase unraveled completely when Shubman Gill miscued Ashwani Kumar’s delivery to a fielder in the deep on the leg side.
Mitchell Santner struck immediately as well, removing Washington Sundar and Glenn Phillips in his first over to leave Gujarat five down for 55. From that position, the Titans never managed to rebuild. Ashwani Kumar then ran through the lower order to complete the rout, ensuring MI took their first win in Ahmedabad against GT.
What next for both sides?
Mumbai Indians return home next, where they face a high-profile encounter against CSK on April 23. Gujarat Titans travel south and will play reigning champions RCB on Friday.
