Varma hands Punjab fifth successive loss in Bumrah's debut game as Mumbai captain in IPL

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Mumbai Indians' Tilak Varma celebrates after their win in the Indian Premier League cricket match against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia) (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

India IPL Cricket

Mumbai Indians' Tilak Varma celebrates after their win in the Indian Premier League cricket match against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia) (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

India IPL Cricket

Mumbai Indians' Shardul Thakur, right, celebrates the dismissal of Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer, left, during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians in Dharamshala, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

India IPL Cricket

Punjab Kings' Prabhsimran Singh celebrates scoring his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians in Dharamshala, India, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — Tilak Varma’s blistering unbeaten half century helped give Jasprit Bumrah a winning debut as captain of Mumbai Indians on Thursday, and handed 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 and the two big hits 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. 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. 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 after, but then Marco Jansen conceded 22 in the 18th over against Varma and Jacks to help Mumbai stage a stunning comeback. \\\_ AP cricket: