Sachin Tendulkar broke almost all cricketing records that were there to be broken at the international level, but how did he fare at the IPL?
Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid decided not to participate in the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 to give the youngsters an opportunity. However, they did feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which kicked off next year.
In all, Sachin Tendulkar played in six editions of the Indian Premier League and did a great job, scoring 2334 runs from 78 IPL matches at an average of almost 35 and a strike rate touching 120.
While Tendulkar could not soar to the heights he did in international cricket, he was a vital cog for the Mumbai Indians during the years that he featured for them. The Master Blaster did not have a great start and could manage just 188 runs from seven matches in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
He began growing into his work the next year when he scored 364 runs at an average of 33 and a strike rate of 120.13. 2010 and 2011 were his best years at the IPL.
In 2010, Tendulkar scored 618 runs in 15 matches and won the orange cap. If anyone had forgotten, it was just a gentle reminder from the master that he was still the best in the business. He scored runs at an average of 47.53 that year and a strike rate of 132.61, which made it his best IPL year.
Tendulkar in action against arch-rival Chennai Super Kings
In 2011, Tendulkar was relatively consistent, with 553 runs from 16 matches, and an average of 42.53. Although his strike rate dropped a bit in 2011, as he made runs at a rate of 113.31, he created history by scoring an unbeaten century.
Tendulkar’s returns began to wane from 2012 onward. He scored 324 and 287 runs in 2012 and 2013, respectively, and then called it a day.
Tendulkar scored one century and 13 half-centuries in his IPL career, striking 295 fours and 29 sixes. Deservedly, he ended on a high with the Mumbai Indians’ title victory in 2013.
Tendulkar did not have a great game personally, scoring just 15 runs off 13 deliveries while opening the batting alongside Dwayne Smith. But he wouldn’t mind it much, as a brilliant bowling performance by Harbhajan Singh, who picked up a 4-fer on the big night, saw Mumbai lift the IPL 2013 title and give Tendulkar an unforgettable farewell.
In December 2023, there were rumours about Tendulkar stepping down from the role of mentor of the Mumbai Indians after Rohit Sharma was removed from the captaincy and Hardik Pandya was announced as the new captain of the Mumbai-based franchise. However, the rumours were fakes as Tendulkar continues to mentor the team and guide them in the ongoing season.
What’s next? Tendulkar will surely try to help their son Arjun do better than in his previous IPL season, hoping he will soon get a call from the national team.
Arjun Tendulkar in MI’s jersey practising during IPL camp
