They outplay PBKS by six wickets to hand them their fifth successive defeat
Dharamsala: Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 75 and Shardul Thakur’s four-wicket haul powered Mumbai Indians to a six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Match 58 of IPL 2026 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday, handing PBKS their fifth successive defeat.
Punjab Kings, batting first, posted a competitive 200/8, built around a half-century from Prabhsimran Singh and a late surge from Azmatullah Omarzai. Prabhsimran struck 57 off 32 balls with three sixes and five boundaries, while Omarzai’s quick 38 off 17 deliveries lifted PBKS past the 200-mark after a mid-innings collapse.
The innings saw momentum swings as MI struck regularly through the middle overs. Shardul Thakur was the standout bowler, returning figures of 4/39. He removed Prabhsimran and Shreyas Iyer in a decisive spell before striking twice more to derail PBKS’ middle order. His performance also saw him become only the third Mumbai Indians bowler after Lasith Malinga and Munaf Patel to take four or more wickets against PBKS in the IPL.
In response, Mumbai Indians chased down 201 in 19.5 overs, finishing on 205/4. The chase, however, was not straightforward as PBKS applied pressure with timely breakthroughs, leaving MI at 133/4 at one stage.
Tilak Varma then turned the game on its head with a brilliant counterattack in the death overs. He smashed an unbeaten 75, including a 106m six off Yuzvendra Chahal and a flurry of boundaries in the final overs. He shared a crucial partnership with Will Jacks, who provided valuable support in the closing stages.
