Tilak Varma as Mumbai Indians No 3 batter? Reasons to do it & advantages once SKY returns

Mumbai Indians batter Tilak Varma was part of the Indian cricket team, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, that won a gold medal at the Asian Games. (Images via X/@TilakV9)

Tilak Varma, 21, has been the only sunshine in the otherwise gloomy Mumbai Indians camp. The youngster is the top scorer of the franchise after the first three games of the Indian Premier League. He batted with intent and aggression and scored an explosive 64 off 34 balls against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, Varma's batting position has floated between No 4 and No 5. Suryakumar Yadav will likely return at some stage of the tournament, which will lock the No. 4 spot. And looking at Varma's form, promoting him up to No. 3 could be a magical move. Naman Dhir can be the floater.

Varma's 64 happened at No. 4, while the 32 off 29 balls against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday (April 1, 2024), came at No. 5. There is no doubt he needs game time to contribute more, without any scoreboard pressure.

Who is Tilak Varma?

Hyderabad boy Tilak Varma hit the headlines with his stroke play in the past two seasons. Before the start of IPL 2024, his statistics read 740 runs in 25 outings at a strike rate of 144.53. The franchise spent Rs 1.7 crore to acquire him ahead of the 2022 season.

The power-packed knock of 61 off 33 balls while chasing 194 against Rajasthan in 2022 announced his arrival in the big league. He bettered it in 2023 by scoring an unbeaten 84 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, where the bowling department had the likes of Harshal Patel in the death overs.
Varma was part of the Indian cricket team, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, that won a gold medal at the Asian Games. Varma had an unbeaten 55 against Bangladesh in the tournament.

Tilak Varma: the six-hitter

Though MI lost all three matches, Varma has been relentless with his power-hitting. The youngster is currently among the top five six-hitters with nine maximums. Rajasthan Royals's Riyan Parag (12) and Sunrisers Hyderabad's Abhishek Varma (11) are the other Indians on the list which is topped by Heinrich Klaasen (17) of the Sunrisers.

Varma hit six sixes against Sunrisers, two against Rajasthan and one in the opening game versus Gujarat Titans.

Varma will be keen to maintain consistency to earn a ticket to the T20 World Cup, scheduled to start on June 2 in the US - soon after the IPL final on May 26.