In match no.30, the Gujarat Titans (GT) hosted the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. MI finally won their second game after four losses in the IPL. They defeated the Titans by 99 runs on the evening, and this was their first win for the franchise in Ahmedabad after losing six consecutive IPL matches here.
Tilak Varma was the hero after his amazing innings of 101* runs off 45 balls. He was excellent with the mental resilience he showed, and his ability to score runs for his side in difficult situations. Tilak started slowly as he took his time for the 22 balls where he scored 19 runs, and then he charged down as in the next 23 balls he scored 82 runs.
Sachin Tendulkar mesmerized with Tilak Varma’s innings
For his exceptional performance, Tilak Varma was adjudged the Player of the Match. His century was the joint-fastest hundred in MI history. Tilak Varma scored 26 runs off Ashok Sharma in the 18th over. MI scored 96 runs in the last six overs and helped Mumbai to post 199/5 in their 20 overs.
After his sensational innings, former Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar was awestruck by his mental strength and his hitting ability. Sachin serves as the Icon and Mentor for Mumbai and has been associated with the franchise since 2008.
The secret to hitting the ball so ruthlessly and consistently is having great hands and a steady head. @TilakV9, what a way to get your 100!
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 20, 2026
Sachin tweeted, “The secret to hitting the ball so ruthlessly and consistently is having great hands and a steady head. Tilak Varma, what a way to get your 100!”
Of course, first 100 will be always special- Tilak Varma on his maiden hundred
Tilak Varma shared his insights after winning the POTM in the game. He said, “Of course, first 100 will be always special. It was very important for us. We don’t have much time from here. Every game is important for us. Last five games i haven’t had much time in the middle. So this game I wanted to spend time in the middle.”
🗣️🗣️ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 @mipaltan‘s hero with the bat Tilak Varma after a stellar show in Ahmedabad 💙 #TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #GTvMI | @TilakV9 pic.twitter.com/CAU2j7pWOr
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 20, 2026
“So you saw first 20 balls I was just batting ball by ball. And then later on I knew the ability I have. I was just seeing the situation and what the team needs and I was just stable and keeping my head still and following my basics. I have all the fancy shots.”
“But when the team is under pressure it’s just about backing your skills and today it’s given me good results. [Partnership with Naman Dhir] It was very important. The way Naman played with positive intent, credit goes to him.”
GT over relied top order falters
While chasing, GT were never in the game, as they lost Sai Sudharsan in the very first ball of the second innings, with Jasprit Bumrah finally striking in IPL 2026. Then Jos Buttler followed on a low score, with Shubman Gill also back after being set. The Titans lost their top 3 inside the power play for the first time in IPL history.
After that, the home side never came back in the game, and there were wickets at regular intervals, and at one stage, even 100 runs were looking impossible, but some runs by Kagiso Rabada at the lower order helped them to score just 100 runs.
