Ahmedabad, April 20 (IANS) Fast bowler Ashwani Kumar took four wickets after Titak Varma slammed an unbeaten century as the Mumbai Indians registered a dominant 99-run win in Match 30 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday. The big win gave a big boost to the Mumbai Indians’ Net Run Rate as the five-time champions moved to seventh spot in the points table.

Ashwani Kumar bagged 4-24 as the Gujarat Titans were bowled out for just 100 runs in 15.5 overs while chasing 200 runs as five-time champions. Earlier, India’s T20 World Cup winner Tilak Varma smashed his maiden century off 45 balls and took the Mumbai Indians to 199/5 runs in 20 overs after a shaky start courtesy of Kagiso Rabada’s three wickets in the Power-play.

Chasing a challenging target of 200, the Gujarat Titans had a nightmarish start as they lost a wicket on the very first ball. Jasprit Bumrah struck immediately to dismiss Sai Sudarshan, marking his first wicket of the IPL 2026.

The pressure continued in the next over when skipper Hardik Pandya removed Jos Buttler. The in-form batter was trapped lbw and, despite opting for a review, the decision stayed with the umpire. Buttler managed just 5 runs off 6 balls, leaving GT in early trouble.

After the double setback, Sundar and captain Shubman Gill tried to rebuild the innings with a counterattack. The pair struck five boundaries in quick time, taking the score to 35/2 in four overs and briefly shifting momentum.

However, just as the Gujarat Titans looked to stabilise their innings, young pacer Ashwani Kumar struck to remove Gill for 14 off 13 balls. Down three wickets, the Gujarat Titans ended the Power-play at 45/3, still under pressure in the chase.

Mumbai Indians’ bowlers continued to dominate after the power-play. Allah Ghazanfar built pressure with a tight over before Mitchell Santner delivered a decisive double blow in the eighth over. He first dismissed Sundar for a brisk 26 off 17 balls and then removed Glenn Phillips with a clever slower delivery, leaving GT struggling at 56/5.

With the match slipping away, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan tried to steady things with a partnership built on singles and doubles. However, the required run rate kept climbing, adding more pressure.

The stand was broken in the 11th over when Tewatia edged a delivery from Ashwani and was caught behind by Quinton de Kock for 8 off 11 balls. Ashwani continued his impressive spell, striking again in his next over as Rashid Khan was caught for four. He then completed a brilliant four-wicket haul by dismissing Shahrukh Khan, who fell while attempting a big shot.

Ghazanfar wrapped up the innings by picking up back-to-back wickets of Rabada and Mohammed Siraj in the 16th over, sealing a comprehensive bowling performance.

Ashwani Kumar was the standout bowler for the Mumbai Indians, finishing with excellent figures of 4-24. Santner and Ghazanfar supported well with two wickets each, while Bumrah and Pandya chipped in with one wicket apiece as the Mumbai Indians dominated the chase from start to finish.

MI had a slow start after being put in to bat. Openers Danish Malewar and Quinton de Kock could not get going. Malewar was dismissed early for two by Kagiso Rabada, and de Kock followed soon after, scoring 13.

Naman Dhir tried to counterattack with a few boundaries, but Rabada continued his strong spell. He picked up his third wicket by removing Suryakumar Yadav for 15, leaving MI struggling at 46/3 in the powerplay.

After the early setbacks, Tilak Varma and Dhir rebuilt the innings with a steady partnership. They rotated the strike well and punished loose balls, taking MI to 75/3 at the halfway stage. Their 52-run stand ended when Prasidh Krishna dismissed Dhir for a well-made 45 off 32 balls.

Tilak then shifted gears in the final overs. After a slow start, he began attacking the bowlers, hitting big shots all around the ground. He reached his fifty in 33 balls and then accelerated further.

In the death overs, Tilak dominated the bowling attack, completing his maiden IPL century in just 45 balls. He remained unbeaten on 101, hitting eight fours and seven sixes, guiding the Mumbai Indians to a strong total of 199/5.

For the Gujarat Titans, Rabada was the standout bowler with figures of 3/33. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna picked up one wicket each.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 199/5 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 101*, Naman Dhir 45; Kagiso Rabada 3-33, Mohammed Siraj 1-25) beat Gujarat Titans 100 all out in 15.5 overs (Washington Sundar 26, Shahrukh Khan 17; Ashwani Kumar 4-24, Mitchell Santner 2-16) by 99 runs.

–IANS

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