The China Mail - Varma ton revives Mumbai's IPL hopes with win over Gujarat

Varma's unbeaten 101 off 45 balls steered five-time champions Mumbai to 199-5 after the heavyweights had slipped to 96-4 at Gujarat's home in Ahmedabad.

The bowlers then took over as pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah claimed his first wicket of the season on the first ball of Gujarat's chase to help bundle out the opposition for 100 in 15.5 overs.

Mumbai, who last won the IPL title in 2020, began this season with a win but four defeats in their next four outings dented their ambitions.

Their second win in six matches lifted the team from the bottom of the 10-team table to seventh place.

Skipper Hardik Pandya was an animated figure throughout the course of the match as his side got back to winning ways.

Bumrah's wicket of Sai Sudharsan for a golden duck fired up Pandya, who hugged his lead bowler, and then a later stunning catch in the deep by Naman Dhir further pleased the captain.

Pandya trapped Jos Buttler lbw for five in the second over and as impact substitute Ashwani Kumar dismissed opposition skipper Shubman Gill, Mumbai were on the front foot.

Mumbai's New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner struck twice in three balls in the eighth over to send back Washington Sundar, courtesy of Dhir's catch, and Glenn Phillips to further dent the chase.

Medium pace bowler Ashwani was the stand-out with figures of 4-24.

But it was Varma's fireworks with the bat that stole the show for Mumbai as the middle-order batter struck eight fours and seven sixes in his blitz.

Varma punished the Gujarat pace bowlers to all parts of the ground and finally reached his hundred with a six and four on the last two balls of the innings.

He started slowly and was on 19 off 22 balls at one stage, but in his next 23 balls he smashed 82 runs to make it an evening to remember for himself and Mumbai.

N.Wan--ThChM