Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar makes strategic investment in cricket NFT platform Rario

Sachin Tendulkar plays a shot. 

Khel Today Bureau

New Delhi:   Rario, the world’s first officially licensed digital cricket collectibles platform, has partnered with the legendary cricketer Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar to enter the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) market. This partnership not only involves Sachin as a strategic investor but also allows fans from around the world to own his digital collectibles exclusively on Rario.com.

Sachin continues to hold a special place in the hearts of billions in India and worldwide, and his fan base continues to grow from generation to generation. With the help of this collaboration, Tendulkar’s fans’ now have the chance to own digital collectibles of their favourite player and use them across multiple utilities that follow.

Many legendary and upcoming cricketers are already exclusively on the Rario’s platform including Aaron Finch, Faf Du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Shakib Al Hasan, Rishabh Pant, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Smriti Mandhana, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel.

Rario Co-Founder and CEO, Ankit Wadhwa said, “In 1996, I saw Sachin Tendulkar live for the first time at the India-Sri Lanka World Cup match in Kotla, Delhi. The greatest player in the world had scored a run-a-ball 137 – he was the hero of a billion cricket lovers. Twenty-six years later, partnering with the Master Blaster with him investing in Rario is a surreal feeling. It is a testament to our vision of making fandom more accessible. A world where stars don’t just exist on a distant flickering screen or in a crowded stadium, and fans don’t get to be passive observers but active participants. It is only fitting that the man who once carried a billion hopes is now blessing us in our journey to redefine fandom for a billion fans. With the God of Cricket backing us, sky is the limit!”

Speaking on the partnership, Sachin Tendulkar said – “Fans are an integral part of any sport. While the on-field action happens for a few hours, fans carry the memories forward and immortalise those moments forever. It is exciting to see NFT technology bringing fans closer to sports, giving them an opportunity to treasure their favourite moments. The team at Rario was committed to building a cricket community using technology in a responsible way. I am therefore happy to partner with the team, to launch my digital collectibles exclusively on the Rario platform”.

“Rario is committed to sustainability. And with this objective, we moved our infrastructure to Proof-of-Authority (PoA) Rario Chain, which translates to greater environmental friendliness and a significantly lower carbon footprint than conventional blockchains. Our goal is to bring cricket fans closer to the sport and their idols by providing them with unique personalised experiences. There is no greater cricketing idol than Sachin Tendulkar! We are thrilled to have him as a strategic investor and brand ambassador on our journey to build the world’s largest cricket fan club.” said Sunny Bhanot, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Rario.

Since NFTs entered the market, the perspective on digital assets has undergone a radical change. NFTs are a class of digital assets that use blockchain to track asset ownership and transfer. Since its inception, the craze has spread to include all forms of art, media, fashion, and sports. NFTs are rapidly approaching the $50 billion market value of all works of art, with a market value of $40 billion.

About Rario – World’s first Officially Licensed Cricket NFT Platform

Founded in 2021 by IIT Alumni Ankit Wadhwa and Sunny Bhanot as the world’s first officially licensed digital collectibles platform for cricket fans to collect and trade cricket NFTs (Non-fungible Tokens). Rario has exclusive partnerships which include Cricket Australia, New Zealand Cricket, Big Bash League, Women’s Big Bash League, Super Smash, Hero Caribbean Premier League, Lanka Premier League, Abu Dhabi T10 League, and Legends League Cricket, and has a roster of over 900 international cricketers as well as over 30 exclusive brand ambassadors.

Having Polygon Studios, and Animoca as partners, Rario is backed by reputed investors such as Kingsway Capital, Presight Capital, and Dream Capital.  Since 2021, Rario has sold over 150,000 NFTs to sports fans across 75+ countries.