Tilak Varma: biography, stats & profile

Tilak Varma is an Indian left-handed batter who also bowls right-arm offbreaks. He was born on 8 November 2002 in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. He plays for India and Mumbai Indians, and has played domestic cricket for Hyderabad.

He is best known for his T20I hundreds against South Africa in November 2024 and for his run-scoring in the IPL. He is also the vice-captain of India’s men’s T20I team.

Early life and domestic career

Varma made his first-class debut for Hyderabad in the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy on 30 December 2018. His Twenty20 debut for the side came in the 2018–19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He was Hyderabad’s second-highest run-getter at the 2021-22 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and his domestic form drew interest from IPL franchises.

In the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy he hit 151 off 67 balls against Meghalaya, becoming the first player, male or female, to score centuries in three successive T20 innings. He also signed a short-term deal with Hampshire for four County Championship matches in June and July, and was named captain of South Zone for the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy, which opened on 28 August in Bengaluru.

International career

Varma made his T20I debut against West Indies in the first match of the August 2023 series at Tarouba, top-scoring for India with 39. His ODI debut followed against Bangladesh at Colombo on 15 September 2023, during the Asia Cup.

In November 2024 he scored an unbeaten 107 off 56 balls against South Africa for his first T20I century, and followed it with an unbeaten 120 in the next match. He made 69 in the 2025 Asia Cup final against Pakistan and was named Player of the Match as India won by five wickets.

He was part of the India squad that won the 2026 T20 World Cup, where his best score was 44 not out against Zimbabwe.

IPL

Mumbai Indians bought Varma at the IPL 2022 auction for INR 1.70 crore, and he became a key member of the side straightaway. In IPL 2023 he scored 343 runs at an average of 42.88 and a strike rate of 164.11. Mumbai Indians retained him ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, after he had played for them for the previous three seasons.

Career stats at a glance

In T20Is, Varma has scored 749 runs in 25 matches at an average of 49.93 and a strike rate of 155.07, with two hundreds and three fifties. His highest score is 120.

In the IPL he has 1499 runs in 54 matches at an average of 37.48 and a strike rate of 144.42, with a highest score of 84 and six fifties. In four ODIs he has made 68 runs, with a highest score of 52.

Recent form and news

On 24 October 2026 Varma took the catches of Tim Seifert and Daryl Mitchell to reach 26 catches in 2026, a T20I record for most catches by a fielder in a calendar year.

By MaidanBeat Desk · updated 27 Oct 2026