Sachin Tendulkar among several cricket greats to feature in inaugural International Masters League

Legendary Sachin Tendulkar will be one of the several cricket greats who will be returning to the field once again when the inaugural edition of the International Masters League (IML) gets underway this year.

The league is the brainchild of two of cricket's greatest-ever batsmen Sachin Tendulkar himself and former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar. They will be working with India’s leading sports management company PMG Sports and global sports marketing company SPORTFIVE, to establish a company in India in order to conduct the league.

Gavaskar has also been appointed the commissioner of the league. A total of six teams will be fighting it out in the league. It will be an annual T20 competition. Cricket starts from six countries - India, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, England, and Sri Lanka - will be participating in the tournament.

The tournament promises to take the fans down memory lane as they will be able to see their beloved stars of yesteryear in action once again. The tournament is set to be played across three venues - Mumbai, Lucknow and Raipur.

Sachin Tendulkar on International Masters League

Sachin Tendulkar shared his views on the much-awaited International Masters League (IML). The former India batsman pointed out cricket's ever-growing popularity before saying that there is a strong desire among the fans to 'witness the age-old battles in newer formats'.

"Cricket continues to grow in popularity not just in India, but across the world. In the last decade, T20 cricket has accelerated its adoption, and has drawn new fans into the game. There is now a strong desire among fans across ages, to re-witness age-old battles in newer formats," said Sachin Tendulkar.

"Sportspersons never retire at heart, and the competitive streak within, waits for an opportunity to get back on the field. We have conceived the International Masters League as a meeting point of passionate fans and competitive cricketers.

"I am certain all players participating will get back into the groove and prepare hard. When we represent our countries, we all want to play top quality cricket and try to win," he added.

One of the most decorated batsmen of all time, Tendulkar last played a competitive game in 2022 when he played in the Road Safety World Series. He had played six games for India Legends in the tournament.