They are friends who take pride in each others’ success but where it comes to the Indian Premier League, they often become adversaries starring on opposite sides of their team’s and are pledged to uphold the might of their respective units. Tilak Varma and Arshdeep Singh are great buddies but last evening; they made for a purely passionate battle in which the mighty cricket bat came against the sorcery of the white ball and hence, two talents who often share the dressing room wearing the great common Indian jersey were on the opposite sides. Only one among them - the winner. And the one with the biggest bright smile was Tilak Varma. Great knocks beckon great celebrations. Then even if they are high voltage and purely passionate and stem from a special place in the hearts. For a team that hasn’t really been up to its mark and been found wanting where consistency stands, the Mumbai Indians are a different outfit nowadays. Having already absorbed the fact - even if with a pinch of salt - that no longer can they make it any further in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League in 2026, the MI camp savours every little win that comes their way.

And yesterday evening’s victory was a special one with Tilak Varma playing an exceptional inning ending on 77 undefeated runs and celebrating passionately right in front of his very dear friend from the Indian team- Arshdeep Singh, currently with the Punjab Kings.

Yesterday evening’s high-voltage clash between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings at Dharamshala — a venue as stunning as it gets — ended with a result that matched the beauty of the setting in Himachal Pradesh.

Chasing a target well beyond 200, Mumbai Indians pushed the game right down to the final over, thanks largely to Tilak Varma, who delivered a brilliant unbeaten 77.

Scoring a fifty and staying till the very end is one thing, but doing it in a winning cause, especially when the pressure is mounting, is something else entirely — and that’s exactly what Varma pulled off.

And how refreshing was it to see Mumbai Indians seal the win under Jasprit Bumrah’s first outing as captain this season?

Perhaps just as impressive as watching a fearless, all-round batting display from a gifted left-hander in the Mumbai colours. Quite something, isn’t it?

Of course, Tilak Varma is no stranger to piling on runs in the IPL. He’s even gone bigger than the unbeaten 77 he scored last night against Punjab.  

In fact, he notched up his maiden IPL hundred earlier this season against Gujarat Titans for Mumbai. But this knock just felt different — it carried a certain weight, a sense of occasion. After the impact substitute Rohit Sharma fell for a rather underwhelming 20-odd, and Ryan Rickelton departed after a quick start, someone had to anchor the innings and take Mumbai over the line. That responsibility became even more crucial in the absence of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav — and Tilak Varma stepped up to be that man.

Now if that wasn’t a fine moment for the MI supporters, then one wonders what is?