MI playing 11 from Sachin Tendulkar's IPL debut in 2008 - where are they now?

Legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his 52nd birthday on April 24, 2025. On this occasion, let's relive the day he made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for Mumbai Indians (MI).

Tendulkar's first IPL game was midway through the 2008 season, on May 14, against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He missed the first seven games of the inaugural edition due to a groin injury.

MI captain Sachin Tendulkar won the toss and invited CSK to bat first. The Super Kings were off to a bad start, losing two wickets inside the powerplay. Nevertheless, S Badrinath (53) and MS Dhoni (43) played crucial knocks to help CSK post a respectable 156-run total.

In response, Sanath Jaysuriya played a sensational knock to dominate CSK's bowling attack, as MI garnered 78 runs off the first six overs. His 82-run stand with Tendulkar (12) was brought to an end by Joginder Sharma in the eighth over.

Nevertheless, the Sri Lankan powerhouse continued to smash the ball well and reach his maiden century in the league. Jayasuriya (114*) and Robin Uthappa (16*) remained unbeaten to seal the chase in less than 14 overs.

On that note, let's take a look at what Sachin Tendulkar's teammates from this game are up to in their respective lives now.

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MI playing 11 from Sachin Tendulkar's IPL debut in 2008

Top-order: Sanath Jayasuriya, Sachin Tendulkar, Robin Uthappa

Sanath Jayasuriya bagged the Player of the Match award for his stellar knock of 114* off 48 balls, with nine fours and 11 sixes. Currently, Jayasuriya is serving as the head coach of the Sri Lanka men's team.

In his debut IPL game, Sachin Tendulkar scored 12 off 16, with a solitary four and a six. Tendulkar is the mentor of the MI team in IPL 2025, and participates in the Legends League tournaments in the off-season.

Robin Uthappa scored 16* off 19 in this game. Uthappa currently works as a commentator and analyst for media houses, and will represent India in the World Championship of Legends 2025 in July.

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Middle-order: Dominic Thornely, Dwayne Bravo, Abhishek Nayar, Yogesh Takawale (wk)

Dominic Thornely conceded 10 runs off his solitary over, while not getting an opportunity to bat. He last played competitive cricket for the Sydney Sixers in the 2013 edition of the Big Bash League.

Dwayne Bravo finished with figures of 2/37 off four overs, dismissing Suresh Raina and S Badrinath. After playing until 2010 for MI, Bravo spent his cash-rich league in the CSK setup until 2022. He then served as the bowling coach for the Men in Yellow for two seasons until 2024. Currently, he is the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Abhishek Nayar couldn't find an opportunity to bat in this game. After representing MI until 2010, he played for multiple teams until 2014. After serving as an assistant coach of champions KKR in 2024, Nayar took over the same role for the Indian men's team.

However, he was sacked after India's poor performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Recently, he rejoined the KKR setup as an assistant coach in IPL 2025.

The wicket-keeper, Yogesh Takawale, plucked two catches in the game. After playing for MI until 2009, he played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2014. His last competitive appearance came for Nagaland in the 2020 edition of Ranji Trophy.

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Lower-order: Shaun Pollock, Rohan Raje, Ashish Nehra, Dhawal Kulkarni

Shaun Pollock had a game to remember against CSK, as he finished with figures of 1/9 off his four overs. After playing a solitary season for MI in 2008, he was appointed the head coach of the franchise in the 2009 edition. Currently, he is working as a commentator for bilateral series/ ICC events.

Rohan Raje conceded 33 runs off his three overs in this fixture. The right-arm pacer represented the franchise until 2009. He last represented Mumbai in the Inter-State Twenty-20 Tournament in 2017.

Ashish Nehra went wicketless in his four overs and gave away 31 runs. Currently, Nehra is serving as the head coach of the Gujarat Titans in IPL. Under his leadership, the franchise lifted the title in 2022.

Dhawal Kulkarni was impressive with figures of 3/33 off his four overs, while taking the wickets of Stephen Fleming, Chamara Kapugedera and Albie Morkel. Kulkarni retired from domestic cricket in 2024, and was recently seen playing for India Masters in the International Masters League 2025.