Sachin Tendulkar has backed plenty of startups. This one plays to his first love. The cricket legend has taken a stake in Metasports Interactive, the company behind the mobile cricket strategy game Hitwicket, and he’ll appear inside the game too. The Sachin Tendulkar Metasports Interactive deal is more than a celebrity cheque: it’s a sign of where Indian cricket gaming is heading after the real-money gaming ban.
What happened
Indian Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has become a strategic investor in Metasports Interactive, the Hyderabad-based gaming company behind the mobile cricket strategy game Hitwicket. He hasn’t just written a cheque. Tendulkar has acquired a significant minority stake, and the partnership reportedly includes both cash and equity.
The financial details of Tendulkar’s investment, including the amount and the company’s valuation, have not been disclosed.
He’ll be part of the product, too. Tendulkar will also feature as a playable character in Hitwicket and appear in various in-game experiences, special events, content initiatives and brand activations. One possibility being considered is featuring Tendulkar as a team mentor or strategist, alongside his role as a playable character.
What Hitwicket is
Hitwicket isn’t a typical batting game. Hitwicket is a multiplayer cricket strategy game that allows users to manage a virtual team as its owner, coach and captain. That’s what attracted Tendulkar: “Hitwicket stood out to me for how it brings the strategic thinking behind cricket into the game. Cricket has always involved reading the bowler, assessing the field and deciding the right approach for every ball,” Tendulkar said.
The numbers behind it are solid:
Reach: Launched in 2020, Hitwicket has recorded more than 20 million downloads across 120 countries.
Engagement: According to Reddy, players spend an average of 51 minutes a day on Hitwicket.
The goal: With Tendulkar on board, the startup aims to take Hitwicket to 100 million downloads within the next three years.
The business model is the key to this story. Metasports said more than 97% of Hitwicket’s revenue comes from in-app purchases across Indian and international markets.
In our view, that’s exactly the kind of gaming business that can grow in India today. After the 2025 ban on real-money gaming pushed fantasy sports platforms aside, investors and brands are backing games where players pay for the experience, not to win cash. As one analysis put it, the Tendulkar–Hitwicket deal shows how Indian gaming startups are funding growth after the real-money ban.
Not Tendulkar’s first gaming bet
This is not Tendulkar’s first bet on cricket gaming. The difference is the approach. Sachin Saga was built around recreating the experience of playing cricket, with Tendulkar himself at the centre. Hitwicket takes a different route.
He’s also an experienced investor. Tendulkar has been an active angel investor for more than a decade. His earlier sports-tech bets include the cricket collectibles platform Rario, where the partnership involved Sachin as a strategic investor as well as a way for fans to own his digital collectibles.
Why the deal makes sense for both sides
For Metasports: instant credibility. In a crowded market, the most trusted name in Indian cricket is a powerful marketing tool. Hitwicket is competing with titles such as Dream Cricket, Real Cricket and World Cricket Championship.
For Tendulkar: ownership, not just a fee. As we wrote this week about LeBron James and Whoop, the biggest stars now prefer equity to one-off endorsements. A stake in a company whose game features him as a character means he benefits as it grows.
For players: a new way to engage with a legend. Featuring Tendulkar as a mentor or playable character adds content that fans across generations will want to try.
The challenge ahead
A famous name can bring downloads, but not loyalty. As one gaming outlet noted, Tendulkar’s backing gives Hitwicket visibility, but sustained gameplay quality and player retention will determine whether it can stand out in an increasingly competitive cricket gaming market. Growing from 20 million to 100 million downloads in three years will take great gameplay, smart marketing and international growth, not just a legend’s face.
The question that matters
Can cricket’s biggest legend help build India’s biggest cricket game? The Sachin Tendulkar Metasports Interactive deal brings together a trusted name, a genuinely engaged player base and a business model built for post-ban India. The next three years will show whether that’s enough to reach 100 million players.
At The Sports Columnist, we cover the deals, the money and the decisions behind sport. Every game has a second scoreboard, and in gaming, the legends are now playing for equity.
Sources: Metasports Interactive and Sachin Tendulkar statements; reporting on the investment, 3–5 November 2026.
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