Rumours of Arjun Tendulkar joining Mumbai Indians’ (MI) squad sparked after the legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s son was spotted with cricketers Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult and James Pattinson ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Indian bowler Chahar shared an image with Arjun and other MI teammates in the swimming pool in the UAE, which is hosting the T20 league in 2020.
The 20-year-old left-arm pacer, who has been playing domestic and Under-19 cricket, was not a part of the IPL 2020 auction. His pictures on social media left fans wondering what Arjun was doing with the MI players, with some even suggesting that ‘nepotism’ was at play.
Although the franchise has not signed him yet, Arjun has joined the MI team as a net bowler. Teams were not allowed to use local bowlers for their training sessions, and hence had to take players from India to help during practice.
The junior Tendulkar was also spotted in another video posted on MI’s social media handle, where the players are seen celebrating cricketer Suryakumar Yadav and batting coach Robin Singh’s birthday.
Arjun has previously been seen bowling in the net sessions of the Indian team. On the eve of the 2017 World Cup final, the 20-year-old had also bowled to the Indian women’s team.
One cannot rule out the slight possibility of MI signing Arjun in case any of their players get injured during the tournament. According to the SOPs and rules, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) might allow MI to pick a replacement from the set of players who are already in the UAE.
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