At the age of just 23, Tilak Verma registered his name in the pages of Indian Premier League (IPL) history. For Mumbai Indians (MI), the middle-order batsman hit a century against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Batting first, MI scored 199 runs in 20 overs and Tilak Verma alone scored 101 runs.
He remained unbeaten after facing 45 balls, hitting eight fours and seven sixes, during which his strike rate was 224.44. In the last over of the first innings, Tilak dismissed Prasidh Krishna for 20 runs. In this over the MI batsman hit two fours and two sixes. GT fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who took 3 wickets against MI tonight, praised Tilak for this amazing innings.
Kagiso Rabada praised Tilak Verma for scoring a century
“I’m glad all the hard work paid off. Good innings from Tilak. It’s very possible; we can chase it. I think the secret is that they are building momentum. I’m just happy everything is working out. We know the game of cricket.”
“I’m glad all the hard work is paying off. It’s going my way a little bit; I’m glad it’s happening. Bowling with the new ball, it’s time to attack. You need to stick to simple things and aim on top of that. That’s the heart of bowling, just controlling the length and the line. You’ll get rewarded,” Kagiso Rabada said during the innings break.
Tilak Verma waited for his moment to shine
Prasidh Krishna is the highest wicket taker bowler of the team. But Kagiso Rabada was in full swing against Mumbai Indians. He single-handedly took the wickets of openers Quinton de Kock and Danish Malewar. South African fast bowler also dismissed Suryakumar Yadav. Against Tilak Verma, like the rest of GT’s bowling attack, he was not at his best tonight.
Verma started his innings cautiously, but it did not take him long to increase the run rate. While wickets kept falling at the other end, Tilak Verma remained calm at the crease and waited for the right moment to dominate the bowlers. He decided to go after the famous Krishna in 20th Above. As the MI batsman started the over with extreme aggression, the in-form fast bowler also came under pressure and lost control of the ball.
Watch fans’ reaction to Tilak Verma’s century vs GT
Starboy Tilak Verma scored his last 82 runs in just 23 balls. pic.twitter.com/QJFHCcn01C
– Ratneesh (@LoyalSachinFan) 20 April 2026
When he was not scoring runs, many people were shouting loudly but now the bat is doing all the talking. Tilak Verma showed character, composure and class with a brilliant maiden IPL century today. A memorable comeback. pic.twitter.com/25moXioAk9
– Neha (@nehhaaa__) 20 April 2026
Vintage Tilak Verma
– DasaMool (@DasaMool) 20 April 2026
Hardik Pandya happy on Tilak Verma completing 100 runs! pic.twitter.com/E0hQ0pMXma
– Rushikesh Vadolkar (@RVadolkar) 20 April 2026
Tilak Verma went mad in Ahmedabad!
– Pure hitting performance at Narendra Modi Stadium
Stunned the crowd! ✓#tilakvarma #mi #IPL2026 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/l9ZTu9bShi
-Akaran.A (@Akaran_1) 20 April 2026
Hearing Sanath Jayasuriya’s name in an IPL match after such a long time!
With his 45-ball century, Tilak Verma became the joint-fastest century scorer for MI in the IPL, equaling Jayasuriya’s feat in 2008 (against CSK).
The Sri Lankan was the first century-scorer for MI.
– Nihits (@nihitsachdeva28) 20 April 2026
Read more: “Complete liability”: Fans angry as Suryakumar Yadav’s poor form continues in IPL 2026
