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DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — Tilak Varma’s blistering unbeaten half-century helped give Jasprit Bumrah a winning debut as captain of the Mumbai Indians on Thursday, and handed the Punjab Kings a fifth consecutive loss in the Indian Premier League.

The left-handed Varma struck back-to-back sixes against Xavier Barlett in the final over to hit a belligerent 75 not out off 33 balls with six fours and six sixes that took Mumbai to 205-4 for a six-wicket win.

Prabhsimran Singh (57) made a half-century after getting two chances, and Azmatullah Omarzai added 38 in his first IPL game of the season, to take Punjab to 200-8 after Bumrah won the toss and elected to field.

Bumrah led Mumbai in the absence of Hardik Pandya, who is still recovering from back spasms, and Suryakumar Yadav went home due to personal reasons after the last game.

Bumrah didn't pick up a wicket in his four overs, but Shardul Thakur — who conceded 22 off his first seven legitimate balls — finished with 4-39 before Omarzai, Vishnu Vinod (15) and Bartlett (18) played little cameos as Punjab scored 53 off their final three overs.

“One from one, good game of cricket,” said Bumrah. “I have captained a test match, a T20I, and now the only thing left is an ODI. But jokes apart, really enjoyed my time.”

Mumbai needed 15 off Bartlett’s final over, and Will Jacks (25 not out off 10 balls) brought down the target to nine off the first ball when he smashed the fast bowler for a straight six over long off before Varma sealed the game with two sixes.

Mumbai were 149-4 in the 17th over when Sherfane Rutherford (20) holed out in the deep, but then Marco Jansen conceded 22 in the 18th over against Varma and Jacks to help Mumbai stage a stunning comeback.

“We were pretty clear in what we wanted to do (at the toss)," Bumrah said. "Credit to the bowlers, they executed and held their nerve as well.”

Ryan Rickelton (48) gave Mumbai a solid start of 59-0 in the power play as Rohit Sharma (25) struggled to score freely from the other end before the former Mumbai captain got clean bowled by Chahal off a perfect leg-break in the 10th over.

But Varma put the chase back on track with a 61-run partnership with Rutherford. And Chahal, who conceded only 12 off his first three overs, ended up giving away 20 runs in the 16th over, which reduced the target to 52.

“Tough pill to swallow,” said Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer. “Don’t want to pinpoint a situation. It was a great game of cricket. He (Tilak) played an amazing knock and manoeuvred the field nicely, so credit to him.”

Full Scorecard – PBKS vs MI Match 58 IPL 2026, May 14

Mumbai Indians 205 for 4 (Tilak 75*, Rickelton 48, Omarzai 2-36) beat Punjab Kings 200 for 8 (Prabhsimran 57, Shardul 4-39, Chahar 2-36) by six wickets

Match Highlights & Key Moments

Bumrah should have gotten the wicket of Singh in his first over, but Naman Dhir put down a regulation catch in the first slip. Singh got another opportunity on 28 when Corbin Bosch couldn’t grasp a return catch before the opener stepped up and completed his half-century off 29 balls and took Punjab to 100-1 in 11 overs.

But Thakur triggered the Punjab collapse in the 12th over when first Singh sliced a catch to Bosch at third and then knocked back the off stump of Iyer (4) in the same over. Fast bowler Raj Bawa bowled Cooper Connolly for a struggling 21 off 22 balls before Thakur picked up two more wickets that left Punjab reeling at 140-7 in the 17th over.

However, Omarzai, Bartlett, and impact substitute Vinod showed plenty of aggression in the final three overs and got Punjab to the 200-run mark, which Mumbai crossed over with a ball to spare.

Player of the Match

Tilak Varma was named the Player of the Match for scoring an unbeaten 75 runs off 33 balls, laced with 6 fours and 6 sixes.

What This Result Means for IPL 2026

Mumbai are already out of playoff contention with only four wins from 12 games. Punjab, which stayed unbeaten in the first half of the season before losing five in a row, are still at No. 4 with 13 points.

FAQs - Yesterday's PBKS vs MI Match 58 IPL 2026

Q1: Who won yesterday's PBKS vs MI match?

A1:  MI defeated PBKS by 6 wickets in Dharamsala.

Q2: Who was the Player of the Match in the PBKS vs MI match?

A2: Tilak Varma was adjudged the Player of the Match.

Q3: What was the final score of yesterday's match?

A3: PBKS vs MI

Mumbai Indians 205 for 4 (Tilak 75*, Rickelton 48, Omarzai 2-36) 

Punjab Kings 200 for 8 (Prabhsimran 57, Shardul 4-39, Chahar 2-36) 

This article first appeared on Crictoday and was syndicated with permission.

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