As the Mumbai Indians turned up for the Indian Premier League 2023 clash against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, skipper Rohit Sharma couldn't be a part of the playing XI due to a stomach bug. It was his deputy Suryakumar Yadav who donned the captain's hat for the match. While Rohit's absence gave Surya an opportunity to try his hand at captaincy, it also paved the way for uncapped Indian all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar to make his IPL debut, two years since he was first signed by the franchise in the 2021 auction.
Arjun first joined the Mumbai Indians, the only IPL franchise his father played for before hanging his boots, ahead of the 2021 edition of the league. However, in his two years with the franchise, Arjun couldn't make his debut.
It was against the Knight Riders in 2023 that Arjun finally had the opportunity to make his debut, joining the MI players in the playing XI for the first time ever. In the process, Arjun registered a historic record, with him and Sachin becoming the first father-son duo to feature for the same franchise in IPL history.
"Father and Son turning out for the same franchise 10 years on. A historic first in the IPL. Good luck Arjun Tendulkar," former India cricketer Irfan Pathan tweeted on the occasion.
Mumbai Indians received a big boost by their win in their last fixture against Delhi Capitals in the last outing. In contrast, Kolkata Knight Riders are coming into this contest after suffering a defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 23 runs in their last match.
Suryakumar said at the toss, "Will love to bowl first, the wicket looks dry. The ball comes onto the bat nicely later. Rohit is out, he has a stomach bug. Time to put up a good show. We are going with one change, Duan Jansen comes in, rest all is same."
MI Playing XI: Ishan Kishan(w), Cameron Green, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Arjun Tendulkar, Hrithik Shokeen, Piyush Chawla, Duan Jansen, Riley Meredith