Captain’s debut? Tick. Match-winning performance? Delivered. Jasprit Bumrah’s first assignment as Mumbai Indians skipper ended in triumph on Thursday, as Tilak Varma unleashed a sensational 75*(33) to gun down Punjab Kings by six wickets in a Dharamsala belter.
Standing in for the absent duo of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, Bumrah watched his young gun Varma turn what looked a tricky chase into a masterclass, hauling Mumbai from a precarious 88/3 to 205/4 with a ball to spare in a run-fest.
“One from one,” Bumrah said. “Both teams played good cricket and we really pulled it back well.”
They certainly did, but it was Varma who pulled off the heist.
Punjab’s rollercoaster ride to 200
Put into bat, Punjab Kings came out swinging. Openers blazed to 50 from 33 balls before Prabhsimran Singh, who’d copped criticism on social media for being overweight, delivered the perfect middle-finger response with four towering sixes en route to 50(29).
Singh added 57 with Cooper Connolly (21) as Punjab looked set for a mammoth total. Then Shadul Thakur turned the game on its head.
The seamer ripped through Punjab’s middle order with a devastating spell, claiming 4-39 in three overs of pure carnage. He had Singh caught in the 12th over, then bowled skipper Shreyas Iyer two balls later.
Punjab failed to score a run for six deliveries as Raj Bawa clean-bowled Connolly. Six wickets tumbled for just 33 runs as the Kings crashed to 140/7, their innings in tatters.
Enter Azmatullah Omarzai.
The Afghan all-rounder smashed a breathtaking 38 (17), plundering 19 runs off the 18th over alone. Bartlett joined the party with 22 and 12 off the final two overs respectively, as the duo smoked four sixes between them. Punjab ransacked 63 runs in the final three overs to post a competitive 200/8.
“Azmat changed the game when we were only looking at 170-180,” Iyer admitted.
Bumrah, meanwhile, endured a rare off-day with the ball, going wicketless and conceding 35 in his four overs.
Rickelton sets up chase, Varma finishes it
Mumbai came out with intent. Ryan Rickelton smashed 48(23), peppering the boundary with four sixes in a 61-run opening stand with Rohit Sharma (25) off just 39 deliveries.
But Omarzai wasn’t done. The Afghan struck with the ball too, dismissing both Rickelton and later Sherfane Rutherford for 20 after the West Indian had put on 61 with Varma.
At 88/3, the chase hung in the balance. Yuzvendra Chahal bowled a controlled spell of wrist spin on a slowing Dharamsala surface, keeping Mumbai honest.
Then Varma exploded.
The left-hander raced to 50 off just 25 balls, selecting his shots with surgical precision. With Will Jacks 25* providing able support, Varma launched an assault that left Punjab’s bowlers shell-shocked.
The pair plundered 56 off 20 balls to seal victory, with Varma finishing unbeaten on 75.
For Punjab, it’s a crisis. Fourth-placed and fighting for survival in the top four, they’ve now lost five consecutive matches. With just two games remaining, both must be won to secure a knockout berth.
“It is a tough pill to swallow,” said skipper Iyer. “But it was a great game of cricket and a well fought game. Tilak selected his shots well and manoeuvred the field nicely.”
Mumbai, languishing ninth with four wins in 12 games, are already out of contention but will take satisfaction from spoiling Punjab’s party and giving their new captain a winning start.
