Arjun Tendulkar makes IPL debut for Mumbai Indians

The moment of reckoning has finally arrived for Arjun Tendulkar as he makes his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday (April 16). 

Son of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Arjun has been part of the MI set-up for a while and is making his debut outing against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. 

Regarded as one of the promising young allround talents, the left-arm pacer and left-hand middle-order batter was retained by the MI think-tank ahead of IPL 2023. 

Part of the set-up last season, Arjun Tendulkar went through unplayed as the team management allowed him time to address his game and give it the cutting edge required at the top level game. 

Tendulkar had been impressing the coaches in the net sessions in the build-up to the KKR clash and has now walked into a side that requires more allround option and depth. 

Arjun Tendulkar makes IPL debut with KKR clash 

Starting off his journey through junior cricket in Mumbai, Tendulkar made his competitive cricket debut for the domestic powerhouse via the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament in 2021. 

The 23-year-old would've wanted to pursue his game with Mumbai only but the dearth of regular opportunities in a packed side inspired a move to Goa, for which he plied his trade in the 2022-23 domestic season. 

The youngster rated quite highly has played 5 first-class, 7 List A and 9 domestic T20 matches in his career for now. His T20 game time has fetched him 12 wickets at an impressive 6.60 runs an over. 

Ahead of the KKR encounter, Tendulkar was one of the few MI bowlers showcasing great control and consistency in the nets, especially when the franchise was gearing up for their away game in Delhi versus the Capitals on April 11. 

That may have encouraged coach Mark Boucher and skipper Rohit Sharma to pick him, especially as the side stayed on the look out for a dependable plug at No.7. 

It's a spot that Arjun Tendulkar was always primed to gain at some stage of IPL 2023 considering the way the former champions had compiled their squad and the first-choice playing unit.