Ahmedabad, April 20 (IANS) India’s T20 World Cup champion Tilak Varma smashed his maiden IPL century as Mumbai Indians (MI) posted 199/5 in 20 overs against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match 30 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Monday despite early breakthroughs by Kagiso Rabada.

Asked to bat first, the Mumbai Indians had a cautious start with a new opening combination of debutant Danish Malewar and experienced Quinton de Kock. The pair struggled to find timing early on, managing just two runs in the opening over, bowled by Mohammed Siraj.

The pressure told in the second over when Kagiso Rabada struck early. Malewar, playing his first match, was trapped after scoring just two runs. De Kock tried to get going but couldn’t convert his start, falling for 13 off 11 balls as Rabada produced a sharp caught-and-bowled effort.

Amid the early setbacks, Naman Dhir looked positive and played a few attacking shots, including consecutive boundaries off Siraj. However, Rabada continued to dominate the Power-play, removing Suryakumar Yadav for 15 to leave the Mumbai Indians in trouble. At the end of six overs, the Mumbai Indians were restricted to 46/3.

With the top-order back in the pavilion, Tilak Varma and Dhir focused on rebuilding the innings. The duo showed good composure, rotating the strike regularly and picking up boundaries whenever the bowlers erred. Their steady approach helped MI recover, as they reached 75/3 at the halfway mark.

The partnership grew to 52 runs before Prasidh Krishna broke through in the 13th over. Dhir attempted a big shot but was caught in the deep, ending a valuable knock of 45 off 32 balls, which included several well-timed boundaries.

Tilak, who had started cautiously on a slightly slow pitch, began to accelerate after Dhir’s dismissal. He targeted the bowlers in the middle and death overs, especially taking on Prasidh Krishna in a high-scoring over that shifted momentum back in MI’s favour.

He brought up his half-century in 33 balls and continued to play aggressively. In the final overs, Tilak showcased his full range of shots, finding gaps with ease and clearing the boundary regularly. His timing and shot selection stood out as he took control of the innings.

Tilak eventually reached his maiden IPL century in just 45 balls and remained unbeaten on 101. His outstanding knock was decorated with eight fours and seven sixes, helping the Mumbai Indians finish strongly and post a challenging total of 199/5.

For the Gujarat Titans, Rabada was the pick of the bowlers with impressive figures of 3/33 in his four overs, making early breakthroughs that kept his team in the game. Siraj and Prasidh Krishna chipped in with one wicket each, but the bowlers struggled to contain Tilak in the final overs.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 199/5 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 101*, Naman Dhir 45; Kagiso Rabada 3-33, Mohammed Siraj 1-25) against Gujarat Titans.

–IANS

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