Mumbai Indians cricketer Arjun Tendulkar made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 16 April. It was an emotional moment for him as well as his father Sachin Tendulkar who is the mentor of the five-time champion. Arjun got only two more overs to bowl as he went for 17 runs with the new ball in his first spell in the cash-rich league. However, the left-arm pacer played a key role in MI’s win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defending 20 runs off a yorker in the final over to hand his team a crucial 14-run victory.
In the process, Arjun also picked up his first IPL wicket, dismissing Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the last ball of the innings. However, the debut didn’t go smoothly for Arjun. He has been a part of the MI camp since IPL 2021, when he was picked by the five-time champions for his base price of Rs 20 lakh. Many were expecting him to get a chance last year when the Rohit Sharma-led side struggled a whole lot throughout the season.
Ahead of IPL 2022, MI once again picked up Arjun Tendulkar in the mega auction, this time at a price of Rs 30 lakh. Gujarat Titans also showed interest in him but MI managed to secure his services. The youngster was retained for the 2023 edition of the cash-rich league and has impressed in a couple of starts so far. The MI camp will be hoping for him to improve and make an impact in every game. Arjun is also a good batsman but he is yet to get a chance to show his skills in that department.
Meanwhile, his father Sachin Tendulkar was overjoyed after Arjun picked up his first IPL wicket. He also congratulated Mumbai Indians for winning their third game in a row after defeating SRH by 14 runs. Fantastic all-round performance once again by Mumbai Indians. Cameron Green impressed with both bat and ball. Ishan and Tilak’s batting is as good as it gets! IPL is getting more interesting every day. Brilliant boys! And finally a Tendulkar is an IPL wicket!”