IPL 2025: Tilak Varma’s 59 Drives Mumbai Indians to 205/5 Against Delhi Capitals

Synopsis

On April 13, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Tilak Varma scored a stellar 59 runs, leading Mumbai Indians to a competitive total of 205/5 in their match against Delhi Capitals. This performance marked Varma's second half-century of the season, showcasing his batting skills on a challenging pitch.

Key Takeaways

Tilak Varma scored 59 runs off 33 balls.
Mumbai Indians set a total of 205/5 against Delhi Capitals.
Naman Dhir contributed an unbeaten 38 runs.
Ryan Rickleton had a strong start with 41 runs.
Bowling struggles for DC except for Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam.

New Delhi, April 13 (NationPress) Tilak Varma showcased his prowess by scoring a remarkable 59 runs, marking his second half-century of the season, as Mumbai Indians set a challenging target of 205/5 in their 20 overs against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.

Despite a pitch that presented some challenges, all of MI’s batters, except captain Hardik Pandya, got off to decent starts, but it was Varma who notably pushed forward, scoring 59 off 33 balls, with 22 of those runs coming from the mid-wicket region. He received solid support from Naman Dhir, who contributed an unbeaten 38. For DC, aside from Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam, the other bowlers struggled to contain runs.

Opting to bat first, Ryan Rickleton began strongly, striking fours and launching a powerful 80m six over mid-wicket. After a four off Starc, Rohit Sharma hit a six off a top-edge scoop, followed by a square drive, racking up 19 runs in the third over.

DC managed to strike when Rohit missed a length ball while attempting a slog sweep off Vipraj and was given out lbw upon review. However, MI continued their strong performance, ending the power-play at 59/1.

Unfortunately, Rickleton couldn’t convert his promising start into a larger score as Kuldeep Yadav bowled him out. Meanwhile, Tilak Varma found boundaries through various shots, while Suryakumar Yadav displayed his expertise with sweeping shots against Kuldeep, Axar, and Nigam.

DC managed to slow MI's momentum with consecutive overs; Suryakumar was caught at long-off off a googly from Kuldeep, and Hardik Pandya followed suit, dismissed by Nigam. Nevertheless, Varma maintained MI's aggressive approach by hitting boundaries off Nigam and Kuldeep, reaching his fifty in just 26 balls.

Together with Naman Dhir, who also scored boundaries off Mohit, MI was poised to cross the 200-run mark. This was further boosted when Dhir hit Starc for consecutive fours, and Tilak sliced for another boundary in the 18th over.

Tilak was given a second chance at 54 when Mukesh and Ashutosh Sharma collided while attempting to catch him. Although Tilak was eventually caught, MI had already crossed the 200-run milestone.

Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 205/5 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 59, Ryan Rickleton 41; Kuldeep Yadav 2-23, Vipraj Nigam 2-41) against Delhi Capitals