Tilak Varma Arshdeep Singh Rohit Sharma for PBKS vs MI. Image Credits: AFP/MI
Tilak Varma starred for the Mumbai Indians (MI), as he led the franchise to a huge win in the IPL 2026 against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on May 14, 2026. This match was played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala.
Punjab Kings was asked to bat first by Jasprit Bumrah, who captained MI in the absence of both Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav.
When Priyansh Arya (22) and Prabhsimran Singh (57) took on the bowlers, PBKS got off to a strong start. Cooper Conolly scored 21, but MI rallied before PBKS reached 200/8 in 20 overs because of Azmatullah Omarzai (38), Vishnu Vinod (15*), and Xavier Bartlett (18*).
Tilak Varma shoulders a brilliant chase for the Mumbai Indians
Ryan Rickelton smashed 48 in 23 balls with four sixes and four fours, while Rohit Sharma fought for rhythm, scoring 25 in 26 balls. Tilak Varma was accompanied by Naman Dhir (4) and Sherfane Rutherford (20) as he assisted MI in moving closer to a certain victory.
Will Jacks then joined Varma and hit two fours and two sixes to smash 25* in ten balls. However, MI amassed 50 runs in the final 18 balls thanks to a brilliant performance of 75* in 33 balls with six fours and six sixes from Tilak Varma. Marco Jansen scored 22 runs in the 18th over with Varma and Jacks, while Xavier Bartlett was unable to stop 15 runs in the final over.
Also Read: Punjab Kings Qualification Scenario For IPL 2026 Playoffs After Loss vs Mumbai Indians
Arshdeep Singh comes under criticism for a racist attack on Tilak Varma
After a video featuring Tilak Varma went viral on Thursday, May 14, landing Arshdeep Singh in a huge controversy regarding his social media behavior once more. The Punjab Kings fast bowler, who is well-known for his jovial image on social media, posted a video of himself and the Mumbai Indians batter joking around on Snapchat.
Arshdeep Singh seems to refer to Tilak as "andhere" in the video, which means "dark" in English. At first, Tilak disregarded the comment, but Arshdeep carried on the conversation and playfully advised him to use sunscreen.
As Arshdeep Singh recorded Tilak, he called him, “Oye Andhere, aaj sunscreen lagaya ki nahi?” which means, “Hey darkness, have you applied sunscreen today or not?”
Watch the video below:
Tilak, a dusky-skinned cricket player with about 6.2 million Instagram followers, is well-known for his attractive appearance and eye-catching Instagram feed. Many fans took Arshdeep Singh’s remark as racially motivated, while some stated that the humor of North Indian players is rooted in racist remarks.
MI hits back at Arshdeep Singh with a Tilak Varma video
Arshdeep Singh's "andhera" jab at Tilak Varma sparked new debate as Mumbai Indians' most recent post on X had set things on fire. Many of the fans have taken it as MI’s revenge on PBKS pacer’s racist jibe at their player after the franchise handed the Chandigarh-based team their fifth loss in a row.
The video, which honored Tilak's game-winning knock, swiftly gained popularity and brought an already-discussed exchange back into the public eye. But Tidak didn't seem to be impacted by the background noise. After the game, the left-hander won the major prizes after scoring 75 off 33 balls to help the Mumbai Indians win.
MI then posted a video of Tilak with his awards, but it was the way the clip opened that drew attention online.
Watch the video below:
Punjab Kings struggling in IPL 2026 after a string of losses
Punjab Kings were once ruling the IPL 2026 points table with 6 wins from the first 7 matches. Their one match against the Kolkata Knight Riders had been washed out due to rain. With the 13-point table, everyone was waiting for PBKS to win a couple more games and qualify for the playoffs.
However, things have taken a 180-degree turn for the Shreyas Iyer-led side, as PBKS have now lost five matches in a row and slipped to the 4th spot in the IPL 2026 points table with 13 points from 6 wins in 12 games.
Also Read: KKR Player Leaves IPL 2026 Midway Without Any Injury
