Arjun Tendulkar was one of the few players who was a part of the Mumbai Indians squad this year but did not get a single game. The bowling all-rounder has been with MI for multiple seasons now, but the team management has kept him on the benches only. Many fans thought that since MI was knocked out of IPL 2022 early, they would try Arjun in the final few league matches.
However, the Mumbai Indians team management felt that he is not ready to play at the grand stage of IPL yet. Even the Chennai Super Kings did the same thing with U-19 World Cup star Rajvardhan Hangargekar this year.
Former Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev discussed the buzz around Arjun during IPL 2022 and said on Uncut:
“Let him play his own cricket and do not compare with Sachin. To have a Tendulkar name has perks and disadvantages as well. Don Bradman’s son changed his name because he could not soak that kind of pressure. He removed the surname Bradman because everyone expected him to turn out like his father.”
Mumbai Indians are likely to retain Arjun Tendulkar for IPL 2023
Mumbai Indians signed Arjun Tendulkar for 30 lakh at the IPL 2022 mega auction. His base price was 20 lakh, and MI were the first team to bid for him. Interestingly, Gujarat Titans also bid for him and raised the price to 25 lakh.
Mumbai then bid 30 lakh as GT pulled out and allowed MI to sign the all-rounder. Since MI bid 30 lakh for him at the mega auction, it should not be a surprise if Arjun is retained for the next edition of the Indian Premier League. He could make his debut next year and probably bowl alongside the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer.
It will be interesting to see how Arjun performs in the upcoming domestic season.
