Sachin Tendulkar-Spartan controversy: Master Blaster files 14 crore lawsuit against Australian bat manufacturer

Sachin Tendulkar-Spartan controversy: The legendary cricketer has finally taken an action against the Australian bat manufacturer.

Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar has filed a 14 crore ($2 million) lawsuit against Australian bat manufacturer Spartan Sports. The 46-year old has accused the company of using his name and image to promote products and then non-payment of the above mentioned amount in royalties.

Sachin Tendulkar-Spartan controversy

In Federal Court papers filed this month and reviewed by Reuters, Tendulkar mentioned that Spartan Sports agreed in 2016 to pay him $1 million per year to use his image, logo and promotional services to sell “Sachin by Spartan” sporting goods and clothing.

Tendulkar is supposed to have attended several promotional events for Spartan Sports both in London and Mumbai.

According to the documents, Tendulkar didn’t receive any payment by September 2018. It was at this time that Tendulkar asked the company to stop using his name and logo due to the non-payment. However, Spartan continued to do the same.

Tendulkar’s civil claim accused the Australian company of misleading or deceptive conduct, “passing off”, or suggesting an official endorsement when none existed, and breach of contract. It did not say what damages were sought.

Other than Tendulkar, former India captain and current wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni is another non-payment victim from Spartan Sports.

During the first ODI of Australia’s tour of India earlier this year, the sight of Dhoni using a bat from SS and not Spartan had done the rounds across social media platforms. Since the IPL, Dhoni has been using bats from SS and BAS.

It is worth mentioning that there is no clarity on Dhoni’s current deal or whether he has received the payment from Spartan Sports or not.

Both Tendulkar and Dhoni are currently in England

While Dhoni is currently playing the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Tendulkar is also in England on a commentary stint with Star Sports.

*Me after watching Sehwag, Sachin and Ganguly together in a commentary box*#INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/3L8Hds0SiO

— Rohit Singh (@rohit_bhaiyya) June 9, 2019

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About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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