The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad was never a happy hunting ground for the Mumbai Indians (MI). Ahead of the match against the Gujarat Titans (GT), Hardik Pandya’s side was under immense pressure as they had to concede four defeats in a row.
When the Mumbai Indians walked into the ground to face the home team, the Gujarat Titans, they were at the bottom-most position of the IPL 2026 points table. Additionally, Rohit Sharma was not in the playing combination because of an injury.
MI defeated GT in style in Ahmedabad
Despite all odds, the five-time IPL winners emerged victorious against the Gujarat Titans in style. Tilak Varma was named the Player of the Match for securing a sensational century. Supported by Varma’s unbeaten 101-run knock from 45 balls, MI, batting first, scored 199 runs in 20 overs.
On the slow surface in Ahmedabad, the total was not easy to chase. GT batters’ trouble increased gradually when they started to lose crucial wickets from the very first delivery of the second innings. Jasprit Bumrah got his first IPL 2026 wicket by dismissing Sai Sudharshan.
The bowling line-up of the Mumbai Indians did equally well
Impact player Ashwini Kumar was outstanding; he bagged 4 wickets in 4 overs in exchange for only 24 runs. The overseas spinner duo of Mitchell Santner and Allah Ghazanfar claimed a brace each to join the wicket-taking feast. In front of the fiery MI bowling attack, the Gujarat Titans managed to get only 100 runs, Mumbai Indians won the contest by a massive 99-run margin.
“Very important. It’s always challenging to go away and win. But at the same point of time, Ahmedabad has been something which is very tough for us as the Mumbai Indians. And yeah, we just played good cricket. And it feels very special because it was much needed,” Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya said after the match.
Hardik Pandya heaped praise on the centurion Tilak Varma
“The kind of talent Tilak has, he really does not need to worry about a lot. So the only message I kept telling him was that you’re gonna just watch the ball and hit the ball irrespective of what, because I genuinely believe the kind of ball striking from his bat is something really special.”
“It was about time that he came and delivered. And yeah, I think a couple of times I went so loud that I kind of got dizzy,” Hardik Pandya explained how Tilak Varma pulled out such a stunning knock from under pressure.
“So yeah, but it was much needed for the group. It was much needed for Tilak. It was much needed for the Mumbai Indians. And as a captain as well, that kind of energy only changes things around,” Hardik Pandya added.
With the 99-run win, Hardik Pandya’s side moved to the seventh spot of the points table from the 10th place of the ten-team league. After playing six matches, they now have 4 points from two wins and 4 defeats with an improved net run rate of +0.067.