Tilak engineers MI resurrection

The Mumbai Indians' batting against Gujarat Titans can be split into two halves—the first, flat and lifeless; the second, full of fizz, bounce, and pace. This spectacular shift resurrected MI's fortunes and may have turned their season around. At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the five-time champions looked well and truly back in IPL 2026.

They dropped seasoned opener Ryan Rickelton, handed a debut to rookie Danish Malewar, and brought in two overseas spinners, Mitchell Santner and Allah Ghazanfar. The start lacked purpose—46 for 3 in the PowerPlay, when the season's average is 60. At the halfway mark, they were 75 for 3, against a season average of 96. It seemed lost until Tilak Varma arrived.

An animated discussion with captain Hardik Pandya during the batting timeout transformed him into an aggressive, purposeful batter. From 103 for 4, MI added 96 runs, with Tilak unleashing a late blitz that fetched 73 in the final four overs.

Tilak's progression was dramatic—from 19 off his first 22 balls (strike rate 86.36), he sped to 82 off the next 23 deliveries at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 356.52. His unbeaten 101—a maiden IPL century—was a momentum-shifting, game-changing effort.

Hardik Pandya said, "The kind of talent Tilak has, he really does not need to worry. The only message was 'you're gonna just watch the ball and hit the ball.' I believe the ball-striking from his bat is special. It was about time he delivered."

Before this game, Tilak had managed only 43 runs in the first five matches. But he possesses a keen sense of occasion, evidenced by his unbeaten 69 in the Asia Cup final and a 21-run cameo in the T20 World Cup semifinal against England.

Tilak said, "I was seeing the situation, what the team needs. I was stable, keeping my head still and following my basics. I've got all the fancy shots, but under pressure, you back your skill. That's what I did today."

An off-side player, Tilak now shows range on the on-side as well, lofting over mid-off and swinging toward fine-leg. He benefited from GT's field placements, which left those areas vacant. His six over square-leg in the Asia Cup final off Haris Rauf was match-defining; he played a similar shot off Prasidh Krishna in the final over.

The 20th over was sensational. Tilak, on 80 with MI at 177 for 5, chased a century and 200 for the team. He began with a four to third man, followed by a six over square leg. After singles from him and Sherfane Rutherford, he swung a Prasidh Krishna full toss over fine leg for six and finished with a four through square, bringing up his century and setting a target of 200.

This assault made him only the fourth No. 5 batter to score an IPL century. The effort was special on a two-paced black soil surface, where GT's highest score was 26. GT were all out for 100, handing MI a 99-run win.

GT batting coach Matthew Hayden said, "When you blink against a world-class player like Tilak Varma—even on a spicy wicket—it can cost you. We couldn't arrest the negative momentum, largely due to Tilak's performance. It was a dominant display, especially down the ground. He read the conditions superbly. Tilak had his day, and he's put Mumbai Indians in a position where they've suddenly turned things around."