IPL 2026: Tilak Varma outguns Gujarat Titans as record-breaking blitz rewrites MI history
Tilak Varma delivered a historic IPL century, smashing 101 off 45 balls to lead Mumbai Indians to a dominant 99-run victory. His explosive innings, featuring a remarkable turnaround in scoring rate, saw him outscore the entire Gujarat Titans lineup. Varma's maiden century also marked a personal milestone, earning him his first Player-of-the-Match award.
NEW DELHI: In an innings that will be remembered as one of the most explosive in IPL history, Tilak Varma didn’t just score a century — he rewrote the record books and outscored the entire Gujarat Titans lineup to power Mumbai Indians to a resounding 99-run victory on Monday. Varma’s unbeaten 101 off just 45 balls was not only his maiden IPL century but also a knock packed with staggering numbers. The left-hander equalled Sanath Jayasuriya’s 45-ball hundred from 2008 — the joint-fastest ever for MI — announcing himself among elite company.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Yet, what made the innings truly extraordinary was the manner in which it unfolded.
Varma crawled to just 17 off his first 20 balls, before unleashing a jaw-dropping assault — smashing 84 runs in his next 25 deliveries. The 251-point difference in strike rate between the two phases is the highest ever recorded in an IPL innings. “I wanted to spend time in the middle,” Varma said after the match.
“In the first 20 balls, I was just batting ball by ball. Then I knew the ability I have… it was about reading the situation and backing my skills. ” For nearly 14 overs, Varma hadn’t struck a single boundary, managing only 19 runs off 22 balls.