Tilak Verma (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
New Delhi: Celebrations, jumps, joy and a signal of victory Mumbai Indians The dugout said it all Tilak Verma As he guided Mumbai Indians to a six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in their IPL 2026 clash at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Thursday.The defeat was Punjab Kings’ fifth in a row, dealing a huge blow to their playoff hopes. Asked to bat first, Prabhasmaran Singh (57) put on a 33-ball 50-run opening stand with Priyansh Arya (27) as PBKS reached 55/1 in the powerplay. He then added another 57 runs with Cooper Connolly to take Punjab past the 100-run mark in the 12th over.Shardul Thakur (4/39) pulled things back for MI with four wickets, but PBKS still managed to score 53 runs in the last three overs to post a competitive 200/8.In reply, Ryan Rickelton came out all guns blazing and took Mumbai Indians to 59 for no loss. Rohit Sharma Struggled for fluency during his 25-run innings at the other end.“(Is finishing games becoming a habit?) I always say I love finishing games, but playing in the World Cup and playing some international games for the country helps me (understand) how to finish games, and you get that experience and confidence. With that, I think I’m improving my game,” Tilak said after the match.“(Did you make adjustments based on the pitch?) To be honest, we didn’t expect the wicket to be like this because the ball (incoming) was a bit slow and low, so it wasn’t easy to hit the stroke. We saw in the first half how Punjab struggled in the first 15 overs. After that, Azmatullah (Umarzai), Vishnuvino did well. Tomorrow But we thought we’d take the game as deep as possible. And I was believing in myself that I could do it (game over). So I was just getting in shape and supporting my basics. I was believing in myself that I would finish the game,” he said.With 72 runs needed in the last five overs, PBKS once again handed the ball over. Yuzvinder ChahalBut Tilak and Sherfin Rutherford mounted a brilliant counter-attack to score 20 runs in the leg-spinner’s over.Although Azmatullah Omarzai removed Rutherford in the 17th over, Tilak remained calm under pressure and hammered Marco Johnson for two sixes and a four in the game-changing 18th over for 22 runs that tilted the chase decisively in MI’s favour.With 15 runs needed in the last over, Tilak sealed the chase in style with two towering sixes.“(Was that the plan to attack Uzi?) To be honest, when we had the second tactical timeout, I was talking to the coach that just one big over and we’d be over the game. Just trust me, I’ll do it for the team. So that’s what I said, and I was just waiting for that one big over. Unfortunately, it turned out to be Yozi Bhai’s (last) over (smile). But yes, I’m glad I finished the game,” said Tilak.“(A chat with Will Jacks?) To be honest, Will’s innings really helped close the game. The way he played, I just told him: Hold your shape and wait for the silvers because here the ball is flying. If they bowl fast and you swing blindly, if it hits the bat, it’s on. We just wait for that ball – we just wait for that light ball and struggle to hit sixes. He held his shape well, hit a few sixes, and was under pressure.Mumbai Indians, who are already out of the race for the IPL 2026 playoffs, will next face Kolkata Knight Riders on May 20.
