A long wait comes to an end as Arjun Tendulkar has made his IPL debut after his two years of purchase, in Mumbai Indians’ clash against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 16, Sunday, at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. Son of the legendary cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, Arjun has performed exceptionally well in domestic cricket, and has now got a chance to showcase his all-rounding capabilities in the popular cash-rich T20 tournament.
Arjun was signed by the franchise in the 2021 auction of the Indian Premier League, after his performance for Mumbai in the domestic cricket circuit. The Mumbai-borne cricketer was part of the Mumbai Indians squad in 2022, but never got a chance to represent the team in the tournament. Arjun made his first-class debut, when he represented Goa in Ranji Trophy in 2022 in a match against Rajasthan and smashed a century in the match.
He made his debut under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav in MI’s clash against Kolkata, as skipper Rohit Sharma has been given rest due to a stomach issue. By the virtue of the match, Sachin Tendulkar and Arjun have become the first father-son duo, who have played for the same franchise in the history of the Indian Premier League. The Indian legend led MI from 2008 to 2011 and led them to their first-ever final in the year 2010.
As Junior Tendulkar played his first-ever IPL match on Sunday, the cricket fraternity, including Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, and Wayne Parnell, among others took to Twitter calling it a historic day in the history of the tournament and bestowed their wishes on him.
Notably, Mumbai Indians have won only one match in the season so far, and they are taking on Kolkata Knight Riders in a special ESA match at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.