Tendulkar meets Pinarayi, invites him for ISL season opener

Iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here and sought support for the Kerala Blasters Football Club ahead of the 2017-18 season of the Indian Super League (ISL).

Tendulkar, co-owner of the club, told reporters after the meeting that he invited the chief minister for the team's first match of the season, scheduled on November 17 in Kochi. He was accompanied by his wife Anjali. Kerala Blasters FC will take on Atletico de Kolkata in its first match.

Tendulkar said the team had witnessed some "tough times" during the previous ISL season, but the players managed to stick together and play quality football.

In June last year, the club had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kerala government to set up a football academy in the state.

"There are 1,800 children at the grass-root level who are aspiring to play for Kerala Blasters," Tendulkar said.