Tilak Varma, PBKS vs MI: It has been a rollercoaster of an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 so far. While the performances on the field were supposed to be the centre of all the attraction, it is the controversies off the field that have been the talking point of the season. Before the Punjab Kings took on the Mumbai Indians at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, a video went viral with Arshdeep Singh dishing out allegedly racist remarks to Tilak Varma. When the match closed out, it was Tilak who had the last laugh as MI defeated PBKS to hand the Shreyas Iyer-led unit their fifth loss in a row. Taking the perfect opportunity, the five-time champions took to Instagram to hit back at Arshdeep.
PBKS vs MI: Mumbai Indians hit back at Arshdeep Singh
Before the match between the Punjab Kings and the Mumbai Indians, Arshdeep Singh went live on Snapchat and passed on some comments that did not go down well with the people on the internet. The left-arm pacer said, “Oye Andhere, Sunscreen Lagaaya?” Meanwhile, Tilak Varma, who was on the receiving end of these comments, was the star performer for the five-time champions as they chased down a target of 201 on the penultimate ball of the second innings.
PBKS vs MI: Tilak Varma stars for Mumbai Indians against Punjab Kings
With Suryakumar Yadav out of the team due to personal reasons, Tilak Varma got the chance to bat at number four. Tilak came to the crease in the ninth over with 81 runs on the board, and the situation soon became 88 for three in 9.3 overs. He then played a match-winning, unbeaten knock and scored 75 runs in only 33 balls, hitting six fours and six sixes. He was duly supported by Will Jacks to ace the chase, scoring 25 runs in only 10 balls to win their fourth game of the season.
PBKS vs MI: Mumbai Indians win by six wickets
It felt like the Mumbai Indians were out of the game with 50 runs needed off the last three overs. 22 runs came off the 18th over from Marco Jansen, with Tilak hitting a couple of sixes and a four. The task at hand was still not done as 28 runs were needed in 12 balls. 13 runs came off the over from the penultimate over from Arshdeep.
Will Jacks struck a six on the first ball of the final over and gave a strike to Tilak Varma on the next ball. The third ball was a dot, meaning that eight runs had to be scored on the last three balls. Tilak kept his calm and struck a couple of sixes on the bounce to win the match for his team by six wickets.
Also Read: IPL 2026: Who Is The Mystery Girl Spotted With Preity Zinta During PBKS vs MI Clash At Dharamshala?
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
