Sachin Tendulkar invested an undisclosed amount in Metasports Interactive. The Bengaluru-based startup makes Hitwicket, a mobile cricket strategy game. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.
Tendulkar's role
Tendulkar will appear in Hitwicket's in-game experiences, content, and brand activations. He is the second cricket icon to back the startup after Harsha Bhogle's undisclosed investment in 2024. The company said Tendulkar's input is helping improve game engagement.
Funding history
Metasports has raised more than US$23 million cumulatively over six years. In April, it secured US$20 million from London-based Metica for marketing and user acquisition. Metica also advises the startup on monetization through advertising and in-app purchases.
What Hitwicket offers
Hitwicket is a strategy-based online multiplayer cricket game for smartphones and tablets. Players take on the roles of owner, coach, and captain of a cricket team. The title has 20 million users across 120 countries who spend an average of 51 minutes per day.
Metasports plans to scale Hitwicket to more than 100 million downloads over the next three years. Revenue grew 100% over the past six months. More than 97% of revenue comes from in-app purchases.