Waxwork statue of Sachin Tendulkar on display at Madame Tussauds in London. [Glynsimages2013/Shutterstock]
When 1.4 billion Indians mail an envelope, they can do it with his face on a stamp. Visitors to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in London, New York, and Dubai can see his likeness permanently installed, cricket bat held high. He’s been called everything from the “Michael Jordan of cricket” to the “Tom Brady and Tiger Woods” of cricket all the way up to the “God of cricket.”
And now Sachin Tendulkar has North Texas ties.
The Dallas-based National Cricket League (NCL) is currently on the pitch at the UT Dallas Cricket Stadium in Richardson, presenting its inaugural 2024 Sixty Strikes Tournament through October 14. But amid all the whizzing cricket bats, cheers, and wickets, the league announced big news today: Tendulkar—celebrated as the greatest cricket batsman of all time—has joined the NCL’s ownership group.
Tendulkar is slated to arrive in Dallas this week, and will present the championship trophy to the winning team at the NCL’s Sixty Strikes tournament at UTD, “marking a historic moment for the sport’s rise in America,” the league said.
A stamp printed in India shows Sachin Tendulkar, cricketer player, dedicated 200th Test Match, circa 2013 [Olga Popova/Shutterstock]
“Cricket has been my life’s greatest journey, and I’m pleased to join the National Cricket League at such an exciting time for the sport in the U.S.,” Tendulkar said in a statement. “The NCL’s vision to create a platform for world-class cricket while inspiring a new generation of fans to resonate with me. I look forward to being part of this new initiative and witnessing the growth of cricket in the U.S. firsthand.”
NCL Chairman Arun Agarwal says Tendulkar’s 24-year playing career and his influence in cricket is “comparable to Pele in soccer or Babe Ruth in baseball.”
“Sachin’s commitment to the game, along with his global appeal, will be key as we introduce cricket to new audiences in America,” Agarwal added in a statement. “His involvement highlights the NCL’s goal to inspire future generations and establish cricket as a major sport in the U.S.”
Tendulkar’s cricket milestones
If you don’t know cricket, you may not realize how awesome these stats are. But Tendular redefinited the sport as the highest run-scorer in both Test and One-Day International (ODI) cricket. His astonishing 100 international “centuries” and his achievement of being the first cricketer to score 200 runs in an ODI “are milestones few can dream of, and none can match,” the league said, adding that “he was the face of cricket’s rise into a worldwide phenomenon, his mastery of the game making him a household name far beyond cricket-loving nations.”
NCL’s ongoing tournament at UTD
The NCL’s inaugural tournament at UT Dallas opened on October 4 with an appearance by Bollywood superstar Mika Singh. The tournament’s themed nights are designed to create “a Coachella-like energy.” But for fans, the biggest attractions are cricket legends known worldwide—Sunil Gavaskar, Zaheer Abbas, Wasim Akram, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sir Vivian Richards, Venkatesh Prasad, Sanath Jayasuriya, Moin Khan, and Blair Franklin. “The cricketing heroes will mentor and coach the next generation of players,” the league said.
The league features top-tier players from around the world, including Shahid Afridi, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Shakib Al Hasan, Robin Uthappa, Tabraiz Shamsi, Chris Lynn, Angelo Mathews, Colin Munro, Sam Billings, Mohammad Nabi, and Johnson Charles.
The NCL is partnering with Sports Illustrated and has broadcast partners including ESPN, Sony Max, SKY, WFAA, NDTV, Fox Sports, with additional content provided via the NCL Cricket app.
More info on the ongoing tournament is available here.
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