Mumbai Indians bagged their second win of the IPL 2026 in the GT vs MI match.
The five-time champions, Mumbai Indians, have registered a magnificent comeback in the GT vs MI match after four consecutive defeats in the IPL 2026. Following a stellar century from Tilak Varma, a brilliant four-wicket haul from Ashwani Kumar thrashed the Gujarat Titans to bag their second victory of the tournament. Let’s take a look at 3 key takeaways from the GT vs MI fixture.
Pressure was mounting over the 23-year-old as he managed only 46 runs in five matches of the IPL 2026 so far. The batter was once again off to a similar start in the GT vs MI match, scoring just 19 runs off 22 deliveries. But Tilak started shifting gears from the 15th over of the match, smacking two fours and an over-boundary off Prasidh Krishna.
His onslaught resulted in a fierce 45-ball century as the left-hander guided MI to 199/5 despite losing three wickets inside the powerplay. With his maiden century in the IPL, Tilak also equalled the former MI player Sanath Jayasuriya to become the joint-fastest batter to reach the milestone. Though GT had the game under complete control for most of the first innings, leaking an expensive 96 runs in the final five overs took the game away from the hosts.
The seamer had enjoyed an excellent debut season last year, snaring 11 scalps in seven matches for MI. But despite putting up a noteworthy show, he was benched for Mumbai’s initial five fixtures of the IPL 2026.
However, after enduring a four-match losing streak, the team made multiple changes in their playing combination, including bringing back Ashwani Kumar in their bowling attack. The 24-year-old also grabbed the chance to bag his second four-fer of the tournament. Following the wicket of GT skipper Shubman Gill, the bowler ran through the opposition’s middle order to dismiss some of the big hitters like Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, and Rashid Khan.
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Gujarat’s middle-order issues once again came to the fore as a star-studded line-up failed to even put up a fight in the GT vs MI encounter, managing only 61 runs off 55 balls. It has also been proved earlier that if any of their top three batters put up runs on the board, the franchise usually wins that match.
Their top order, comprising Sai Sudharsan, captain Gill, and Jos Buttler, is known for playing with a calculated approach. But in any case, if all three of them fail to put on a show, none of their star middle-order batters have been able to guide them towards a win or even showcase a gritty fight in recent times. With three victories and as many losses, the sixth-placed GT would want to address the situation soon before their upcoming games in the IPL 2026.
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