Mumbai Indians have finally found their X-factor. In a high-octane clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium, 21-year-old pacer Ashwani Kumar produced a spectacular spell (4/24) to dismantle the Gujarat Titans’ middle order and snap MI’s four-match winless drought, winning the game by 99 runs.

Defending 200, Mumbai Indians looked in command after Jasprit Bumrah struck with the first ball of the innings, but it was Ashwani who ensured there was no comeback for the hosts.

The spell that broke the Titans

Ashwani, known for his swing and deceptive slower balls, turned the game on its head in a three-over burst that left GT reeling. He first removed Shubman Gill, followed by the dismissal of Rahul Tewatia.

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In his third over, Ashwani sent back Rashid Khan and Shahrukh Khan in the same over to effectively seal the deal in favour of MI, finishing his quota of overs with 4 wickets to his credit.

MI reset pays off

Riding on Ashwani’s fiery spell and Tilak Varma’s earlier century, Mumbai Indians are back in the win column. The strategic decision to back young domestic talent, seen earlier with the debuts of Danish Malewar and Krish Bhagat, has immediately yielded dividends for Hardik Pandya’s side.

While it wasn’t quite a debut to remember for Malewar who only scored 2, Bhagat took a catch on the very first ball of Gujarat’s chase while bowling two tidy overs for 10 runs.

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Match set up by Tilak Varma’s hundred

The match was initially set up by Tilak’s hundred. MI seemed to be struggling at one stage before Tilak unleashed his brilliance in the death overs to took them to a competitive total. MI’s bowling then came to the party with Jasprit Bumrah getting his first IPL 2026 wicket after five wicketless games.

Allah Ghazanfar (2/17) and Mitchell Santner (2/16) were the other wicket-takers for Mumbai. Earlier, Kagiso Rabada’s 3/33 had troubled MI but eventually they came out on top to register a dominant win.