Sachin Tendulkar Joins ESGF Event as Guest Ahead of Asian Games 2026

The Esports Games Federation (ESGF) celebrated a high‑profile guest appearance by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on Monday, September 7, in New Delhi. President Ashish Shelari presented Tendulkar with the federation’s flagship publication “Master‑Bla…” and invited him to the Bandra West Public Ganeshotsav Mandal for a customary blessing.

Shelari described the encounter as a historic moment, noting that Tendulkar’s enduring passion for sports continues to motivate younger generations, now extending into the realm of competitive gaming. The meeting was publicly shared on the social platform X, where Shelari praised the cricketer’s contributions beyond the boundary.

The discussion also highlighted the approaching Asian Games 2026 in Aichi‑Nagoja, Japan, scheduled for 19 September–4 October. Esports will feature as an official medal sport, with eleven disciplines on the agenda, including Street Fighter, Tekken, King of Fighters, Pokémon UNITE, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile (Asian Games version), Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Identity V (Asian Games version), Naraka: Bladepoint, Gran Turismo 7, e‑Football Series and Puyo Puyo Champions.

India’s representation comprises fifteen athletes covering four titles: e‑Football (Chinmay Sahu, Daniel Shakil Patel), League of Legends (Ahmed Shahid Israr, Rahul Bist, Sanidhya Malik, Mihir Ranjan, Akash Shandilya, Akshaj Shenoy, Akshaj Shenoy), Pokémon UNITE (Adnan Mohammad Badshah, Ruben Godfrey Fernandes, Sai Krishna Nalluri, DeepJyoti Lakshman Nath, Rudra Narayan Nayak, Deepkumar Vipulbhai Patel) and Puyo Puyo Champions (Paritosh).