Punjab Kings locked horns with Mumbai Indians in a must-win game for the reds on May 14th at HPCA stadium. The pressure was entirely on PBKS to perform at their best and gain the two points, but their loss against MI pushed them further out of the ‘qualification scenario’ with 5 consecutive losses. Winning the toss, MI sent PBKS to bat, although they had a shaky start, but with Prabhsimran’s 57 and Omarzai’s quickfire 37, PBKS reached 200. Shardul’s four-wicket haul was also crucial, but PBKS bowlers failed in the death overs once again. The game was at a point in the hands of PBKS when MI went from 60/0 to 81/3, but then Tilak Verma’s valiant efforts with the willow, along with Sherfane Rutherford’s partnership, took MI towards victory.
After getting the Player of the Match award for a brilliant innings, Tilak Verma emphasised the point that he likes to finish games, and his experience of playing the World Cup and other international games has given him the confidence to do that.
“To be honest, I do like to finish games, but having played the WC and some international games, I’ve come to know how to finish the games,” said the confident Mumbai batter Tilak Verma.
POTM vs Gujarat Titans. POTM vs Punjab Kings. In a tough season for Mumbai Indians - Tilak Varma has been the light for MI, the future face of Mumbai franchise 👌 pic.twitter.com/SvGsYiT6wq
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 14, 2026
TILAK VARMA WON THE PLAYER OF THE MATCH. HIS 2ND OF THIS IPL. pic.twitter.com/6MocaPyVX6
— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) May 14, 2026
Tilak Verma’s emotional statement after the match-winning innings
Tilak Verma has not been at his best form since the 2026 T20 World Cup campaign; needless to say, IPL 2026 also didn’t bring him that good luck. But after his match-winning innings of 75 tonight against PBKS, Tilak Verma couldn’t hold back his emotions while receiving the POTM award.
He dedicated this award to the entire Mumbai Indians family and was vocal on the fact that during his bad phase, MI had backed him and given him all the support he needed, so he is forever grateful to them.
"When I was going through a bad phase, to be honest, the Mumbai management really helped me a lot, and the seniors always stood by me. So today I want to dedicate this innings to the entire Mumbai Indians family, because without them, I would not have been here today. It is because of them that I am playing at this level today." Tilak said.
With this loss against MI, Punjab falls further into their pit of shame as they have 13 points now with 5 consecutive losses and to qualify need to win both the next games.
