'The time has flown by so quickly'- Sachin Tendulkar opens up ahead of IPL's 1000th match

Legendary India batter Sachin Tendulkar congratulated the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ahead of the 1000th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The IPL 2023 match between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday, April 30 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium became the 1000th match in the history of the tournament.

Tendulkar, a legend of MI, led MI in the initial days and then stepped down from the position. The Master Blaster was the first Indian to win the Orange Cap in the lucrative league. He was also the first Mumbai captain to lead the franchise to their first-ever IPL final in 2010. In addition, MI is the most successful IPL franchise, having won five titles so far.

Prior to the 1000th match, the IPL released a special video in which Tendulkar could be heard congratulating the BCCI. The 50-year-old described it as a fantastic achievement given how the competition has risen in significance over the years.

"1000th game. Wow. The time has flown by so quickly. A big, big congratulations to BCCI. It is a fabulous achievement and more so because, you know, the way the tournament has grown in stature over the years, I mean, I remember, in 2008, it was the first season, I was part of MI in a different capacity,” Tendulkar said.

Watch the Video:

IndianPremierLeague@IPL

🗣️🗣️ 𝘽𝙞𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝘾𝘾𝙄 👏👏 Iconic words to celebrate an iconic moment! Hear what the legendary @sachin_rt has to say on the occasion of 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th IPL match 👌🏻👌🏻 #IPL1000 | #TATAIPL | #MIvRR

05:43 PM · Apr 30, 2023

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It's always a pleasure to be part of a tournament: Tendulkar

Tendulkar went on to say that it was an immense pleasure to be a part of the tournament, citing IPL as the biggest tournament in the world. He added that the event allowed young people to dream big, to want to come here and play.

"It's always a pleasure to be part of a tournament, which is by far the biggest tournament in the world. It has given so many cricketers in India and abroad. It's a tournament that has allowed youngsters to dream big, the aspirations to come here and play out here. A big, big congratulations to BCCI," Tendulkar added.