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

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 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.

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.

“One from one, good game of cricket,” said Bumrah. “I have captained a test match, a T20I and now 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.”

Bumrah should have got 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.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/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)

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)

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)

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)

The World Cup final will feature a star-studded halftime show headlined by Madonna, Shakira and boy-band BTS.

FIFA has announced that, for the first time, the final at the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19 will include a Super Bowl-style concert.

Soccer's governing body said the show would support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is raising $100 million to help children access education and soccer.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said it would bring together “music and football on the biggest stage in sport for a very special cause.”

“Every child should have the opportunity to dream, and together we can help make that possible,” he posted on Instagram.

The show will be curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin.

The Super Bowl is famed for its halftime show, attracting the world's biggest stars for spectacular performances. This year featured Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny.

Previous headliners included Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Prince, Bruce Springsteen and Rhianna.

But halftime shows are not commonplace in soccer, with events such as the Champions League final featuring a pre-match concert. On May 30, the Killers will headline European club soccer's biggest game between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest.

It is not known how long the World Cup halftime show will last, but the interval in soccer is not supposed to go beyond 15 minutes.

FIFA describes it as “a singular moment at the intersection of sport, culture and purpose, broadcast live around the world.”

The World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and runs through June and July.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - Madonna arrives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Costume Art" exhibition on May 4, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

FILE - Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates with the trophy in front of the fans after winning the World Cup final soccer match between Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, FIle)

FILE - Colombian singer Shakira rehearses a day ahead of her free concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, on May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado, File)

FILE - FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the match schedule reveal for the 2026 soccer World Cup in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)