Tilak Verma has given a slap to his critics with a brilliant century against Gujarat Titans, helping Mumbai Indians make a spectacular comeback in the ongoing IPL 2026. Although Tilak Verma shone with the bat, it was Aakash Chopra who started the captaincy talks after his Ahmedabad heroics.
Mumbai Indians, who came to bat first after losing the toss, once again had a bad start. Gujarat Titans fast bowler Kagiso Rabada performed aggressively, dismissing debutant Danish Malewar cheaply for two runs and then dismissed his South African teammate Quinton de Kock for 13 runs.
MI crushes GT in IPL 2026 match, Tilak Verma’s explosive century silences critics
Suryakumar Yadav was clean bowled by Rabada for just 13 runs and MI were looking in serious danger at 44 for 3 inside the powerplay. At that time, Tilak Verma came and dominated the GT attack. Initially, the middle-order batsman took his time and then changed gears.
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He played smart cricket, mixed timing with power and did not let the bowlers stand. Tilak scored an unbeaten 101 off just 45 balls with the help of 8 fours and 7 sixes, helping Mumbai Indians post 199 for 5 against Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2026 clash on April 20.
Chasing the target, Gujarat Titans faltered as captain Shubman Gill, Sai Sudarshan and Jos Buttler failed to show any fight against the MI attack. Ashwini Kumar led the attack with four wickets and GT were all out for just 100 runs, with Washington Sundar top scorer with 26 runs.
Aakash Chopra predicts IPL captaincy for Verma after Ahmedabad heroics
After the match, Tilak Verma was praised for the way he handled the situation. He looked calm when the team was struggling and then took charge at the right time. His ability to perform under pressure is something that everyone is impressed by.
This is not the first time the MI star has done this. He has already shown in big matches for India that he can remain calm and perform well when needed. Due to this, discussions have started that Tilak can become the captain in future.
His confidence, understanding of the game and the way he handles himself on the field are making a strong case for him. After the match, former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra has predicted that Tilak Verma will soon become the IPL captain.
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Chopra posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Tikal Verma will lead an IPL franchise one day… and that day is probably not too far…”
Tikal Verma will lead an IPL franchise one day…
And that day is probably not far…– Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) 20 April 2026
Aakash Chopra sees future captain in Tilak Verma
Even on his YouTube channel, the cricket pundit reiterated that Tilak has what it takes to lead an IPL team. He said, “Tilak Verma defeated Gujarat Titans by one run. He scored 101 runs and the entire Gujarat team was bowled out for 100. I think the day is not far when he will captain an IPL franchise.”
Chopra said, “You might wonder how someone can become a captain after playing one innings, but two years from now, and it could be even before that, Tilak Verma will be leading an IPL franchise. That’s my understanding. I can explain it more at that time.”
Notably, Tilak already has captaincy experience, having led India A against South Africa A in an ODI series in November 2025, the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams in the Asia Cup 2024, South Zone in the 2025–26 Duleep Trophy and the Hyderabad Ranji team.