Mumbai all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar grabbed the limelight with his first wicket in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Although Mumbai crashed out of the tournament with three consecutive defeats, Arjun left a mark. And now the important question lies ahead whether the 21-year-old will be a part of the IPL 2021 mini-auction?
Incidentally, Arjun Tendulkar was not in the initial 20-members squad but was added later on after BCCI increased the squad size from 20 to 22. The moment came after Mumbai suffered two back-to-back defeats to start the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign.
He was drafted in the playing XI for the third match against Haryana. Although the 21-year-old didn’t get an opportunity to bat, Tendulkar scalped a wicket off his second over dismissing Chaitanya Bishnoi to give Mumbai a major breakthrough. In total, Arjun Tendulkar accounted for 1 for 34 from the three overs he bowled.
Can Arjun Tendulkar bag a deal in IPL 2021 auction?
Meanwhile, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy debut serves as a massive milestone in Arjun’s career as it makes him eligible to play the Indian Premier League (IPL). While in terms of performances, the junior Tendulkar is yet to make a mark in senior cricket considering what his contemporaries have done, but the IPL door has now opened for him after the recent debut.
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With the mini-auction slated to take place in the second week of February, a couple of franchises might be interested in him considering there are very few left-arm fast bowlers in the circuit. Defending champions Mumbai Indians might show some interest as they have in previous years investing in young talents and moulding them to international stars like Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.
Incidentally, he was also seen with the squad in the UAE in IPL 2020 as a net bowler and it will not come as a surprise if the franchise actually buys him during the auction.
On the other hand, if Arjun Tendulkar remains unsold in this auction, there are high chances that he will fetch a good sum in IPL 2022 as BCCI has big plans of adding two more franchises from 2022. It will be interesting to see how things pan out for the youngster.