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Tilak Varma Wins Hearts With Emotional Tribute To Rohit Sharma After MI Victory

Cricket Gully | May 15, 2026 1:39 PM CST

Mumbai Indians may be out of the running, but they displayed sheer fighting spirit and won a thrilling six-wicket encounter against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala. It turned out to be an incredible night for young Tilak Varma who smashed a phenomenal knock to chase down 201 for MI and also paid a special tribute to veteran Rohit Sharma.

PBKS who came into the encounter with five consecutive defeats were under the pump while MI had nothing to lose. With Jasprit Bumrah leading the side for the first time this season in absence of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav the five-time champions showcased fearless cricket to deny PBKS any chance to climb up the table.

Also Read | Punjab Kings on their way to be the chokers! Eliminated Mumbai Indians defeated them by 6 balls in Dharamsala

Tilak Varma's brilliant century seals Famous Chase

Despite a bright 48 ball 23 by Ryan Rickelton at the top the MI chase lost its steam when their veteran Rohit Sharma was dismissed. Rohit Sharma had a terrible outing with the bat as he could only muster 25 runs off 26 deliveries and looked scratchy right throughout his inning.

With the asking rate going beyond 15 RPO with 5 overs to go, the game had completely shifted towards PBKS. However, 21-year-old Tilak Varma turned it around with an exceptional hitting display. He targeted every bowler relentlessly, put pressure on the home team, and brought MI roaring back into the contest.

He smashed Chahal for 20 runs in the 16th over and then punished Marco Jansen with four huge sixes and a boundary to finish the 18th over with 22 runs, turning the game on its head with quick-fire boundaries.

When 15 runs were needed in the last over against Xavier Bartlett, Tilak Varma held his nerves and smashed two consecutive sixes to seal the game with a ball to spare, he remained unbeaten at 75 off just 33 balls.

Post the six Tilak Varma celebrated ecstatically and gestured "45" towards the dug-out in a heartwarming tribute to veteran Rohit Sharma. The gesture was widely applauded on social media, and the Indian opener himself reacted with a round of applause from the dugout.

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PBKS Playoff hopes put under threat

PBKS' defeat was their fifth consecutive loss in a row after starting their campaign in stellar fashion by winning 6 out of 7 matches. It was again their bowling which let them down, especially in the death overs to chase down 201.

PBKS remains at the fourth spot on the IPL 2026 points table with 13 points but both CSKand RR still have a couple of games to spare in hand and can easily climb above them. The playoff picture has now become quite complex in the latter half of the season.

Despite already being out of the playoffs MI have completely changed the playoff dynamics for the other teams.