IPL 2023: Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher hints at likely IPL debut for Arjun Tendulkar

Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mark Boucher has opened up Arjun Tendulkar's debut chances and said that the all-rounder has been playing good cricket in terms of bowling and it would be good for the five-time champion to have him available for selection.

Boucher revealed that the left-arm pacer was coming off an injury. However, his positive response to the media question has hinted towards a possible IPL debut for the 23-year-old. Arjun, the son of legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, was roped in by Mumbai ahead of IPL 2021.

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"Good question, hopefully," MI captain Rohit Sharma said when asked if Arjun would make his IPL debut.

"Arjun is just coming off from an injury. He is going to be playing tonight. Hopefully we can see what he can do. I think he has been playing very good cricket, especially in terms of bowling in the last 6 months. So yes, if we can have him available for selection, it will be pretty good for us," Boucher explained in the press conference held on Wednesday.

Notably, Mumbai have faced a couple of injury setbacks ahead of the season. Their bowling mainstay Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss the entire season. Also, Australoa pace sensation Jhye Richardson has also been ruled out after undergoing surgey for his hamstring injury.

Arjun missed his first season of the IPL due to an injury but he did not get a game even though he travelled with the side for the 2022 edition. However, the Goa pacer has consistently been seen training with the Mumbai Indians over the years.

Mumbai Indians finished at the bottom of the 10-team IPL table last year. They open their 2023 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday, April 2.

Mumbai Indians Squad for IPL 2023

Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, Jofra Archer, Tim David, Mohd Arshad Khan, Ramandeep Singh, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Tristan Stubbs, Kumar Kartikeya, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal, Cameron Green, Jhye Richardson, Piyush Chawla, Duan Jansen, Vishnu Vinod, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Raghav Goyal