Arjun Tendulkar, traded to LSG from MI, surprises fans with massive role change in SMAT 2025

Arjun Tendulkar, traded to LSG from MI, surprises fans with massive role change in SMAT 2025 (PTI Photo)

Arjun Tendulkar, son of legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar, pulled a big surprise in the first match of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 (SMAT) on Wednesday. Arjun, who is a fast bowler unlike his father, was seen performing a similar role that the legendary Sachin used to do in his playing days. The 26-year-old walked out to open the innings for Goa in the match against Uttar Pradesh at the Jadavpur University Campus in Kolkata, which the latter won by six wickets.

Arjun did a decent job as he managed 28 off 22 balls in the domestic T20 competition. His knock featured four boundaries.

Arjun opened the innings with Ishaan Gadekar as the pair added 20 in 2.1 overs before the latter was dismissed by seasoned medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Arjun then went on to add 55 runs for the second wicket with Abhinav Tejrana before falling against Shivam Mavi.

Also Read | Mumbai Indians trade Arjun Tendulkar to LSG: Could a brand new start unlock his potential?

Goa posted a decent 172/9 after being invited to bat first. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar returned with two scalps from his full quota of overs, while Mavi struck thrice in his four overs.

Uttar Pradesh in response maintained firm grip in the run chase despite skipper Karan Sharma falling for two-ball duck. Wicketkeeper-batter Aryan Juyal scored an unbeaten 93 off 57 balls as the team wrapped the chase with ten balls to spare. Juyal smacked 11 fours and three maximums in his match-winning knock.

Arjun, however, had a forgettable outing with the ball as he leaked 29 runs in 2.2 overs and failed to pick a single wicket.

The move comes after Arjun was recently traded to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) from Mumbai Indians (MI). He was part of the MI franchise for three seasons in the IPL and was traded at his his existing fee of Rs 30 lakh.

Arjun batted just once in the IPL and scored 13 runs in the nine balls he faced. Meanwhile, before opening in SMAT 2025 opener, Tendulkar had batted in 11 T20 innings, in which he amassed 119 runs at an average of 13.22. His career best T20 score is 47.