‘MRF Bat’! What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear this very word? For the majority, it would be Sachin Tendulkar’s beautiful straight drives, for some, it would be either Steve Waugh’s powerful sweeps or Brian Lara’s flamboyant drives and late-cuts. As of now, it is Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan who have made it their own with their class batting, with the likes of Prithvi Shaw being the latest to get into the mix. Let us see in this article all the cricketers who played with MRF bats.
Cricket tragics thrive on stories and there is little explanation for the fixation with the sticker on the bat, but it’s what inspires people to take the game up and its power cannot be understated.
Madras Rubber Factory (MRF) is a Chennai based company that specializes in rubber products, most notably MRF Tyres. Such has been the impact of the cricketers using the MRF logo that the company soon started manufacturing and selling cricket bats, gloves, pads, and other accessories for the young cricketers, who were so in love with the brand.
Let’s look at how it all started and how MRF has found its way into the cricketing world via some greats of the game.
1. Sachin Tendulkar & MRF bat – A Star was born
Like many things, the success of MRF can be attributed to the Little Master. After the 1996 World Cup, MRF signed up a deal with the Mumbai-born. And the partnership has single-handedly brought an immense fortune and name to both, Sachin and MRF.
MRF picked Tendulkar just as he was starting to establish his name and hence both went a long way in making an identity. Sachin Tendulkar kept breaking one record after another, while MRF shares kept making new all-time highs year after year in the stock market.
For a long time, there were not many players who used MRF bats, as they preferred Gray Nicholls, Slazenger bats. Sachin’s success though ensured people were not going to forget about the MRF bat logo any time soon.
2. Steve Waugh, the Conqueror & his MRF Sword
One of the finest captains in the world, Steve Waugh, sported the MRF logo on his bat from 2001 till his retirement in 2004. Waugh who had earlier used a Gunn and Moore bat for a long time, then opted to sign a deal with MRF. And thus became only the second cricketer to play with an MRF bat.
A captain who won almost everywhere in Tests was given the name of ‘Conqueror’ which was imbibed on his bat. Steve Waugh was one of the most resilient cricketers in cricket history. He was the go-to man for Australia whenever they were in trouble.
The MRF logo on the bat of this legend of the game only helped grow the popularity of the bat. And people started to associate greatness with the MRF bat.
3. Brian Lara, the Wizard & his MRF Wand
If the cricketing community could call someone a wizard of batting, it would be Brian Lara. The Trinidad-born cricketer was only the third player to use an MRF sticker on his bat. The moment when Lara hit Gareth Batty for a maximum to get to his 400 and waved his bat around to the crowd, meant the bat had got a good market exposure naturally.
It was only fitting that Lara’s bat had ‘Wizard’ written over it, something nobody would ever disagree with. He first used the MRF bat in 2003 and became only the third cricketer to play with an MRF bat. He used the bat till his retirement in 2007.
4. Genius Ab de Villiers & the MRF connection
If one associates the word wizard with Lara, the South African batsman can be rightly termed as a freak for the batting skills that he possesses. Unfortunately, he had to retire from international circuit earlier than usual which deprives many viewers around the globe of his talent.
De Villiers broke many records but some of his best knocks in the IPL came with an MRF logo on the bat in hand, batting along with Virat Kohli for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
There are very few players who can top him in terms of talent and popularity. It came as no surprise to many when he signed the three year MRF deal in January 2017 and joined the elite list of cricketers with MRF sponsored bats.
5. Genius Virat Kohli & the ever-growing MRF legacy
Almost as if it was a baton that was being passed on by one of India’s greatest to the other, Tendulkar not just passed the batting legacy but also the onus of carrying the Indian batting lineup.
It was in 2013, that Kohli signed a deal worth Rs 6.5 crore ($1 million) a year with MRF. In 2017, he renewed his contract with MRF for a whopping total of Rs 100 crore for eight years, which will go on till 2025.
Kohli has scaled new heights ever since that signing and has gone on to become the best batsman the generation has seen. He has the record for the most ODI runs by an Indian cricketer in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016 and most Test runs by an Indian cricketer in 2012, 2015 and 2016. Moreover, he holds the record for the most ODI runs in 2017 and 2018 and most Test runs in 2018 by any cricketer. He went on to become India’s Test captain in 2014 before taking complete control of Indian cricket in 2017.
Also see: Virat Kohli Player Profile, T20I/ODI/Test Batting & Bowling Stats
Virat has already gone past 10,000 ODI runs and now he is very close to breaking the record held by Sachin Tendulkar for the most number of centuries in the 50-over format. He has also enjoyed significant Test success which reflects in the number of Test tons as a batsman and Test wins as captain of the team.
It is also a credit to Kohli’s drive and ambition that India has scaled new heights in Test cricket, becoming the World No. 1 Test Team and winning the Test series in Australia for the first time. His insistence on fitness and a solid work routine have helped the side reap rich rewards. MRF must be very delighted to have signed up a legend pretty early in his career to carry forward their good name.
6. Genius Shikhar Dhawan & the MRF connection
The Indian opener signed with MRF a Rs 3 crore per year deal. The Indian opener has been in fine form in the 50-over format of the game and has had great success in the ICC tournaments in particular.
Remember, how he had spanked a brilliant 187 against Australia on his Test debut in 2013. It was the fastest test century by a debutant. And when it comes to ICC tournaments, there is no match for Shikhar Dhawan. He was the top-scorer in the 2004 ICC Under-19 World Cup, and the 2013 and 2017 ICC Champions Trophy tournaments. He was also the leading run-scorer for India in the 2015 ICC ODI World Cup.
One thing is true that it is difficult to take our eyes off the TV when he is in his flow. One of the most audacious cricketers of our times, Dhawan, is playing with the MRF bats since around 2013/14.
7. Genius Prithvi Shaw & MRF – The Emerging Star
Another opener, this time from Mumbai was signed up by MRF for a contract in 2017. The young lad has been touted as the next Tendulkar from his early days on the circuit. He came into limelight after smashing 546 in 330 balls in a Harris Shield match.
With that knock, Shaw held the record for registering the highest score ever by an Indian in school cricket, fourth-highest by any batsman in any form of a competitive game.
Shaw has since led India to glory in the Under-19 World Cup 2018 in New Zealand. He also scored a century in his debut Test match against the West Indies. And jointly holds the record with Sachin Tendulkar to have scored a century in his debut match in both Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy.
How fitting would it be if Shaw was to replicate the success of Tendulkar and ensure that MRF had a contract with the three best batsmen across generations!
8. Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir & Sanju Samson – The little-known MRF Connection
Apart from all the above-mentioned players, two other high-impact Indian cricketers also played with the MRF bats at some point in their career.
Yes, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir too used the MRF bat, but only for a short while. And so did the wicket-keeper batsman from Kerala, Sanju Samson, who played in the 2014 U-19 World Cup and in the IPL for different teams.
While you may not remember Rohit Sharma and Sanju Samson using it, but Gambhir did play some memorable knocks with the MRF bat.
Rohit Sharma was seen playing with the MRF bat around 2012/13. Sanju Samson played with the MRF bat in the U-19 World Cup 2014. He also used it in the IPL’s 2014 and 2015 season.
One of the most memorable knocks by Gambhir with the MRF bat was during the 2011 World Cup. Who can forget that heroic knock of 97 runs in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka?! It was instrumental in setting it up for MS Dhoni to finish things in style.
And that’s it. We saw all the cricketers who played with MRF bats. MRF bats will always have a special place in cricket history. I wonder if most young batters today dream of someday playing for their country with an MRF sponsored bat in their hands.
What are your memories and feelings about the MRF bat? Let everyone know in the comments section below.
(About the Author: Nikhil is a passionate cricket writer who thrives on following the beautiful sport cricket and writes extensively on the same. Apart from that, he is a Potterhead till the end of time. He can be followed on Twitter @CricCrazyNIKS)
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