Kamal Ghorui
Tilak Varma (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
NEW DELHI: The celebration, leap, exultation and winning gesture towards the Mumbai Indians dugout said it all for Tilak Varma as he guided Mumbai Indians to a six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in their IPL 2026 clash at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Thursday.The defeat was Punjab Kings’ fifth in a row, dealing a massive blow to their playoff hopes. Asked to bat first, Prabhsimran Singh (57) stitched a 50-run opening stand off 33 balls with Priyansh Arya (27) as PBKS reached 55/1 in the powerplay. He then added another 57 runs with Cooper Connolly to take Punjab past the 100-run mark in the 12th over.Shardul Thakur (4/39) pulled things back for MI with a four-wicket burst, but PBKS still managed to score 53 runs in the final three overs to post a competitive 200/8.In reply, Ryan Rickelton came out all guns blazing and powered Mumbai Indians to 59 without loss, even as Rohit Sharma struggled for fluency during his 25-run knock at the other end.“(It’s becoming a habit finishing off games?) I always say that I love finishing games, but playing in the World Cup and playing quite a few international games for the country helps me (understand) how to finish games, and you get that experience and confidence. So with that, I think I keep improving my game,” Tilak said after the match.“(Did you make adjustments based on the pitch?) To be honest, we weren’t expecting the wicket to be like this because the ball was (coming on) slightly slow and low, so it was not easy to hit strokes. We saw in the first half how Punjab struggled in the first 15 overs. After that, Azmatullah (Omarzai) and Vishnu (Vinod), the way they played, got them to a good total. But we were thinking that we will take the game as deep as possible. And I was believing in myself that I could do it (finish the game). So I was just holding my shape and backing my basics. I was believing in myself that I’d finish the game,” he said.With 72 needed off the last five overs, PBKS once again handed the ball to Yuzvendra Chahal, but Tilak and Sherfane Rutherford launched a brilliant counterattack, smashing 20 runs off the leg-spinner’s over.Although Azmatullah Omarzai removed Rutherford in the 17th over, Tilak stayed calm under pressure and hammered Marco Jansen for two sixes and a four in a game-changing 22-run 18th over that tilted the chase decisively in MI’s favour.Needing 15 runs off the final over, Tilak sealed the chase in style with two towering sixes.“(Was it a plan to attack Yuzi?) To be honest, when we had the second strategy timeout, I was talking to the coach that just one big over and we will finish off the game. Just keep believing in me, I’ll do it for the team. So that’s what I said, and I was just waiting for that one big over. Unfortunately, it came off Yuzi bhai’s (last) over (smiles). But yeah, I’m glad that I finished the game,” Tilak said.“(Conversation with Will Jacks?) To be honest, Will’s innings really helped finish the game. The way he played, I just said to him: hold your shape and wait for the slower ones because the ball is flying here. If they bowl quick ones and you blindly swing, if it just hits the bat, it’s going. So wait for that slower one – that’s the only ball we were actually slightly struggling to hit the sixes. So he held his shape well, got a few sixes, and they were under pressure,” he added.Mumbai Indians, already out of the IPL 2026 playoff race, will next face Kolkata Knight Riders on May 20.
