A much-awaited IPL debut for Mumbai Indians youngster Arjun Tendulkar is on the cards. And that could come in the big game versus the Chennai Super Kings as both MI and CSK need a win to remain alive in the competition.
While defending champions CSK have 1 win in 6 matches, the five-time title holders are winless after 6 losses.
Arjun Tendulkar, son of the legendary batsman and former MI skipper Sachin Tendulkar, has been part of the franchise first as a net bowler in 2020 and then as a player since last year. The seam-bowling all-rounder could finally get to make his IPL debut, vs CSK on Thursday.
Arjun Tendulkar is tall and can generate swing with the new ball; knowing CSK batters’ weakness against the moving ball, especially for Ruturaj Gaikwad who has just returned to form, MI can hand Arjun the new ball. The junior Tendulkar may replace the experienced Tymal Mills who has been expensive and wicketless in the last couple of matches.
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Speaking about his short career so far, Arjun played two Syed Mushtaq Ali games last year for Mumbai, picking up 2 wickets and going at an expensive economy of 9.57. He has also featured for the Marylebone Cricket Club Young Cricketers side in the Second Eleven Twenty20 tournament in Coggeshall, Essex.
Arjun Tendulkar was bought for 20 lakh last year and rebought for 30 lakh in the February mega-auction for IPL 2022. The 22-year-old recently got his maiden call Mumbai Ranji Trophy call-up but didn’t get to make his Ranji debut.
A day before their league stage fixture against Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians teased an IPL debut for Arjun Tendulkar with an Instagram post, captioned: “#MIvLSG on our minds!”
Arjun’s elder sister and now a heavily followed celebrity, Sara Tendulkar, commented a series of blue hearts on it that has got hundreds of likes.
However, he didn’t play versus LSG as MI opted to bring in West Indian spin-bowling all-rounder Fabian Allen because, skipper Rohit Sharma reasoned, it was a day game and they needed an extra spinner.
Now, the match against the Super Kings is a night contest and Arjun Tendulkar is in contention to get his debut IPL cap.
