Published: Mar 23, 2026, 12:42 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 23, 2026, 03:56 PM (IST)
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is all set to begin on March 28. The first match of the tournament will be played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Ahead of the tournament, former Indian player and one of the finest spinners of all time, Ravichandran Ashwin reflects on Arjun Tendulkar’s chances to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 matches.
Arjun Tendulkar has been improving as a left-arm pacer in domestic cricket, but his chances of getting regular game time in IPL 2026 may take a hit after Ravichandran Ashwin gave a blunt remark about his performance.
Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction in December, Arjun Tendulkar was traded by Mumbai Indians, marking his first move away from the five-time champions. He was then picked up by Lucknow Super Giants for his base price of ₹30 lakh.
However, Ravichandran Ashwin feels that with LSG having a strong pace attack, Arjun might not get many chances and could spend most of IPL 2026 on the bench.
“Arjun Tendulkar khelega hi nahi (Arjun Tendulkar won’t play at all), and let’s not even go there. I think it is very difficult because there are Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, and Mohammad Shami in this lineup. There are so many fast bowlers. How will he play? I don’t think he makes any case unless and until there are a lot of injuries,†Ashwin remarked on his YouTube channel.
Lucknow Super Giants: Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Rishabh Pant (c), Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Akash Singh. Traded in: Mohammed Shami, Arjun Tendulkar, Wanindu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje, Mukul Choudhary, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis.
