Sachin Tendulkar Invests in Hitwicket Maker Metasports Interactive

Sachin Tendulkar has become an investor in Metasports Interactive, the Bengaluru startup that makes the mobile cricket strategy game Hitwicket, according to Inc42. The size of the investment and the valuation were not disclosed. It matters because mobile cricket is becoming a crowded space in India, and big names are now picking sides.

What the deal includes

Tendulkar will keep appearing in Hitwicket's in-game experiences, content and brand activations, Inc42 reports. He is the second cricketing figure to back the startup in recent times. Commentator Harsha Bhogle made an undisclosed investment in 2024.

Metasports cofounder and CEO Kashyap Reddy said Tendulkar recognised what makes the game different: strategic decision-making sits at the centre of play. Reddy added that talking with Tendulkar is helping the team understand how elite cricketers think on the field, which could feed into improving engagement.

Hitwicket by the numbers

Hitwicket lets players act as owner, coach and captain of a cricket team in an online multiplayer format. It is available on the Play Store and the Apple App Store. It was founded by Kashyap Reddy and Keerti Singh.

These are the figures the company shared, as relayed by Inc42:

• Over $23.3 Mn raised in total, from investors including Prime Venture Partners, Chennai Angels and Harsha Bhogle.
• A $20 Mn round in April from London-based growth financing firm Metica, meant for marketing and user acquisition. Metica is also advising on monetisation through ads and in-app purchases.
• A claimed global base of 20 Mn users across 120 countries, spending an average of 51 minutes a day on the game.
• A claim that revenue grew 100% in the past six months, with over 97% coming from in-app purchases.
• A target of more than 100 Mn downloads over the next three years.

These are company claims, not independently verified numbers, so treat them accordingly.

A rival is warming up

Inc42 notes that the Tendulkar tie-up arrives while another Bengaluru studio, LightFury Games, prepares its own mobile cricket title, eCricket, which is heading into a closed beta. LightFury raised $11 Mn in pre-Series A funding earlier this year. It has also signed licensing deals for the images of Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and others.

So the two games are taking different routes to attract fans. Hitwicket is leaning on a strategy-first design and Tendulkar's involvement. eCricket is built around a lineup of current stars.

The bigger market

Inc42 cites Niko Partners data saying India had around 511 Mn gamers as of 2025. The country's gaming revenue rose 14.8% year on year to cross the $1 Bn mark. The report adds that audiences are looking beyond battle royale and casual games to a wider range of genres, which is the opening cricket strategy titles are trying to use.

What to watch next: whether eCricket's closed beta turns into a full launch, and whether Hitwicket can show its growth and 100 Mn download goal holding up outside its own claims. Also keep an eye on whether more Indian cricket stars choose to back games rather than just license their faces to them.