Tilak Varma walked into bat in the powerplay when Mumbai Indians (MI) were in a spot of bother. At 44/3, it looked as though MI would have to settle for an under-par total. Despite starting off slowly, hitting 17 off his first 20 balls, Tilak went on to score an unbeaten 101 off just 45 deliveries against Gujarat Titans (GT) to help his side to 199/5 in 20 overs.
He hit seven sixes and eight fours on his way to his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) century. In doing so, he has joined an elite list of players who have scored a century batting at five or below. This also the joint-second-highest score for a batter at five or lower.
Players to hit a century at 5 or below in IPL
Ben Stokes 103* vs GL, Pune 2017
David Miller 101* vs RCB, Mohali 2013
Tilak Varma 101* vs GT, Ahmedabad, 2026
Yusuf Pathan 100 vs MI, Brabourne, 2010
Tilak got to his century off just 45 deliveries, the joint fastest for MI in the IPL.
Fastest hundreds for MI in IPL (by balls)
45 – Sanath Jayasuriya vs CSK, Wankhede, 2008
45 – Tilak Varma vs GT, Ahmedabad, 2026
47 – Cameron Green vs SRH, Wankhede, 2023
49 – Suryakumar vs GT, Wankhede, 2023
Tilak also hit 65 runs off just 18 deliveries at the death (Overs 16-20) – the most by any batter in the IPL. Only four other players have hit more runs than him in IPL history.
This was a much-needed knock for MI, who are at the bottom of the table with just two points from five matches. They have lost four matches in a row after winning their IPL 2026 season opener against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
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