Originals · Startup · Startups & Fintech
Sachin Tendulkar takes a minority stake in Hitwicket maker Metasports Interactive
The cricket legend joins as a strategic investor and brand ambassador for the Hyderabad mobile strategy game, which says it has about 20 million players and wants 100 million downloads in three years.
Sachin Tendulkar has acquired a significant minority stake in Hyderabad based Metasports Interactive, the company behind mobile cricket strategy game Hitwicket, The Economic Times and Moneycontrol reported on November 3, 2026. Both outlets said financial terms, including the investment size and valuation, were not disclosed. The Economic Times added that people familiar with the deal described the cash component as nominal relative to a typical endorsement fee, with the broader association combining cash and equity.
Tendulkar will also serve as brand ambassador and feature across in game experiences, content and brand activations. Moneycontrol quoted CEO Kashyap Reddy saying Tendulkar will help shape gameplay with insights from elite cricket, including finer details that strategy focused players notice. Hindu Businessline and YourStory separately confirmed the strategic investor role and the company's goal of reaching 100 million downloads over the next three years from a base of more than 20 million users across about 120 countries since the 2020 launch.
Hitwicket is a multiplayer game where players act as owner, coach and captain of a virtual cricket team, with an emphasis on tactical decisions rather than pure reflexes. The company said revenue doubled in the six months before the announcement and that players spend about 51 minutes a day in the game, with more than 97 percent of revenue from in app purchases. Moneycontrol and The Economic Times both noted that more than half of revenue comes from outside India, including the UK, Australia, the US and Canada.
The Tendulkar deal sits alongside earlier backing. In April 2026 Metasports secured $20 million in non dilutive user acquisition funding from London based Metica, which YourStory and Inc42 both reported as separate from this equity stake. Existing backers named across the coverage include Prime Venture Partners, Singapore's Horizon Ventures, The Chennai Angels and cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle. Founders named in the reports are Kashyap Reddy and Keerti Singh.
