IPL 2026: Hardik Pandya’s animated chat with Tilak Varma sparks aggressive turnover

Tilak Varma returned to top form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on April 20 at Narendra Modi Stadium with a sensational unbeaten 101 off 45 balls against Gujarat Titans (GT). After a slow start to the season, scores of 20, 0, 14, 1, and 8, the left-hander produced a match-defining innings.

Varma initially struggled, scoring just 19 runs off his first 22 balls. However, he completely shifted gears, smashing 82 runs off his next 23 deliveries. His innings featured eight fours and seven sixes, underlining his dominance in the latter half. Around the end of the 14th over, Hardik Pandya shared an animated message from the non-striker’s end, which seemingly triggered Varma’s explosive finish, although the exact words remain unknown.

In the 15th over bowled by Prasidh Krishna, Varma played cautiously, but what followed was a relentless assault that helped him register one of the fastest centuries for Mumbai Indians (MI). Pandya encouraged him to keep attacking, even as he played a supporting role in their quickfire 81-run partnership off 38 balls.

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The final six overs proved decisive, with MI adding a massive 96 runs. Krishna endured a tough spell, conceding 41 runs in his last two overs. On the other hand, Kagiso Rabada impressed with figures of 3/33, keeping MI’s top order in check earlier.

Chasing 200, GT collapsed under pressure and were bowled out for 100 in 15.5 overs. Washington Sundar top-scored with 26, while the rest of the lineup failed to build partnerships. For MI, Ashwani Kumar starred with 4/24, while AM Ghazanfar (2/17) and Mitchell Santner (2/16) provided strong support. Jasprit Bumrah also ended his wicketless streak with a breakthrough.

Following the result, GT sat sixth with three wins from six games, while MI moved to seventh with two wins. GT will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 24, while MI take on Chennai Super Kings on April 23.