Arjun Tendulkar: Is the southpaw’s IPL journey over? 

by Sahil Jain
Arjun Tendulkar

Arjun Tendulkar has been around the IPL circuit for the last four years. The left-arm seamer has been a part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) setup in all of these years. However, he has not been retained by MI this time around. His IPL career may well be uncertain at the moment.

Son of the great Sachin Tendulkar, Arjun was picked up in the auction for the first time in 2021. MI bought him for his base price of INR 20 lakh in the auction for the 2021 edition. He didn’t play any game that year as he was ruled out with an ankle injury.  

In 2022 when the mega auctions came, he was once again pouched by MI. This time it was for a sum of INR 30 lakh. He warmed the benches throughout the 2022 edition. It was in 2023 when he finally got a chance to make his debut.

IPL debut in 2023

His IPL debut game was against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in April 2023. He bowled two overs and gave away 17 runs in his maiden outing. He fared well in his second encounter which was against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The left-armer took 1/18 from 2.5 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was his maiden IPL wicket.  

Arjun’s best figures came in the game against Gujarat Titans. He gave MI the early breakthrough with the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha and went for just nine runs in two overs. This was when all other bowlers had an economy of 8.50 or more.  

He played just four matches in the 2023 season of the IPL and took three wickets at an economy of 9.36. He dished out a couple of decent spells.  

Just one game in IPL 2024

In 2024, he played just one game which was against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He started the game well, giving away just 10 runs in two overs. He was hit for two successive sixes by Nicholas Pooran in his third over before he limped off the field with muscle cramps. From then on, Arjun did not feature in any of the other games in the remainder of the 2024 season.  

Arjun has played a total of five IPL games and has taken three wickets at an economy rate of 9.37. He doesn’t have a great first-class record but his T20 and List ‘A’ numbers are pretty good in domestic cricket (he plies his trade for Goa). He has picked up 21 wickets in 15 List ‘A’ games at an economy of 5.21. In T20s, he has 26 scalps at an economy rate of 8.61. Arjun was impressive in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023-24 as he took 11 wickets in seven outings.  

In the ongoing season, the 25-year-old pacer has played a couple of first-class games for Goa and has returned with nine wickets.

Although his IPL career is yet to kick in truly, Arjun has become a brand which can’t be missed easily. His performances make headlines quite regularly, and his inclusion in any side will definitely boost its charm factor.

The surname of the lanky medium-pace bowler also carries its own weight. Therefore, it is quite likely that Mumbai Indians could definitely bid for him again and include him in the side in the Mega Auctions.

Even if this doesn’t happen, there will definitely be attention given to him from the other teams. Some might say that time is running out for Arjun to make it big in the Indian cricketing scene, but his panache and dedication to the game still seems to be strong.

Whatever the future might hold, Arjun will definitely grab some attention in the Mega Auctions. How it turns out at the end, well we will have to wait and see.

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