GT vs MI, IPL 2026: Tilak Varma’s Fighting Century Knock Steals Spotlight in Ahmedabad (WATCH)

Mumbai Indians' Tilak Varma smashed a sensational maiden IPL century, scoring an unbeaten 101 off 45 balls against the Gujarat Titans. After a slow start to his innings and a poor run in the tournament, Varma accelerated dramatically to rescue MI from 96/4 and propel them to a formidable total of 199/5.

MI Batter Tilak Varma Records Fifty Century of his IPL Career vs GT

Image Credit: X/IPL

Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Tilak Varma has delivered one of the finest performances of the IPL 2026 during the clash against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday, April 20.

After being put into bat first by the GT skipper, MI posted a solid total of 199/5 in 20 overs. Tilak Varma led the batting with a brilliant unbeaten knock of 101 off 45 balls, including 8 fours and 7 sixes, at an impressive strike rate of 224.44. The second-best performance was by Naman Dir, who scored 45 off 32 balls, including 6 fours and a six, at a strike rate of 140.62.

For the Gujarat Titans, Kagiso Rabada led the bowling attack with figures of 3/33 at an economy rate of 8.20 in his spell of four overs. Mohammed Siraj (1/25) and Prasidh Krishna (1/54) picked up a wicket each, but were unable to prevent the Mumbai Indians from posting a strong total.

Tilak Lits Up Ahmedabad with Fighting Knock

As the Mumbai Indians posted an imposing total on the board, Tilak Varma stole the spotlight with his aggressive and fighting century knock that pulled the team from a shambolic situation of 96/4 to 199/5. Varma’s innings combined calm temperament with explosive hitting as he dominated the Gujarat Titans’ bowling attack in the death overs.

Walking in to bat after Suryakumar Yadav’s dismissal at 44/3, Tilak Varma formed a crucial 52-run stand for the fourth wicket with Naman Dir before the latter’s dismissal at 96/4. The southpaw was struggling to get into his rhythm as he scored just 19 runs off 22 balls without a single boundary at a strike rate of a strike rate of 86.36.

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However, in the next 23 balls, Tilak Varma dramatically shifted gears, accelerating with powerful strokes and smart placement to dismantle the Gujarat Titans’ bowling attack, as he scored 82 runs, including 15 boundaries, at an astonishing strike rate of 356.52, allowing him to complete his maiden IPL century. His ‘hard talk’ with skipper Hardik Pandya appeared to have boosted his intent and confidence.

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In his 81-run stand for the fifth wicket with Hardik Pandya (15), Tilak Varma has scored 64 off 22 balls at a strike rate of 290.91, meaning he contributed nearly 79% of the partnership’s total runs, completely dominating the stand. After Pandya’s dismissal, Tilak was joined by Sherfane Rutherford in the final over of the innings.

Tilak scored 21 runs in an unbeaten 22-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Rutherford. ensuring the Mumbai Indians finished strongly and crossed the 190-plus mark with momentum heading into the innings break.

From Early Struggles to Joint-Fastest Century by MI Batter

Tilak Varma’s century in the IPL 2026 clash against the Mumbai Indians was not just a recovery innings, but also a statement-making knock, as he was earlier criticised for his poor performance but answered in style with a match-defining hundred that silenced doubts and shifted momentum firmly in MI’s favour.

In the first five matches of the IPL 2026, Tilak Varma registers scores of 20, 0, 14, 1, and 8 against the Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Punjab Kings, respectively, aggregating just 43 runs at an average of 8.6. The inconsistent performance raised questions about his place in the team.

In the match against the Gujarat Titans, Tilak Varma delivered a sensational century knock, which saw the Mumbai Indians revived from 96/4 in 12.3 overs to 199/5 in 20 overs, adding 103 runs in the final 7.3 overs. The majority of the runs came from southpaw’s explosive hitting, as he single-handedly shifted the momentum of the innings and powered the Mumbai Indians to a strong finish in Ahmedabad.

Wth 45-ball century, Tilak Varma has equalled Sanath Jayasuriya's record for the fastest century by an MI batter in the history of the Indian Premier League. 

In the IPL 2026. Tilak has aggregated 144 runs, including a century, at an average of 28.80 and a strike rate of 187.01 in six matches.