IPL 2026: Tilak keeps his cool at the crunch as MI hands PBKS a fifth straight loss

Tilak Varma (75 n.o., 33b, 6×4, 6×6) kept up with a mounting asking rate, stood till the end, and took the Mumbai Indians to a six-wicket victory over the Punjab Kings in IPL 2026 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Thursday (May 14, 2026).

For a second straight game, PBKS squandered a defence from a winning position, which extended its losing run to five games and delivered a gut punch to its playoffs hopes.

Turning it around

The home side was the favourite with five overs left and MI needing 72 runs. But MI truly started believing after Tilak and Sherfane Rutherford hit Yuzvendra Chahal for 20 runs in the 16th over, which included an inventive switch hit past short fine leg.

Tilak added another 16 in boundaries in a 22-run 18th over bowled by Marco Jansen that nudged Mumbai even closer. He started with a pummel over midwicket for six before depositing two hits past the pacer for 10 runs.

Will Jacks hit sixes off the first balls of the penultimate and final overs and eased the pressure on Tilak.

With eight needed off the last three balls, the southpaw duly hit two successive sixes to seal the chase. Ryan Rickelton had handed Mumbai the ideal start with a 23-ball 48.

Late charge

In the first innings, PBKS had to strive hard for its 200 for eight and got there only because of Azmatullah Omarzai’s late assault.

Shardul Thakur’s hit-the-deck approach got him four for 39, and sent the Kings’ innings into a tailspin. The host lost six wickets for 33 runs off 30 deliveries through the middle overs and even faced the prospect of being bowled out.

Flurry of boundaries

But Omarzai picked Shardul and Corbin Bosch over mid-wicket for boundaries before getting 18 off Deepak Chahar in the 18th over to change the course of the innings. Earlier, Prabhsimran Singh made the most of two reprieves, on five and 28, to set Punjab a solid platform with his 32-ball 57.

But Shardul dragged MI back with his four wickets, which was vital in restricting the Kings.