Sachin Tendulkar sues Australian bat maker Spartan Sports for failing to pay $3 million

Former Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar has sued an Australian cricket bat manufacturer for allegedly failing to pay him $3 million under an exclusive licensing agreement to use his name and image on the company's products. The Sydney-based company Spartan Sports was co-founded in 2016 by Indian entrepreneur Kunal Sharma and had signed the 45-year-old Tendulkar, who holds a plethora of records in international cricket. Tendulkar had terminated his association with the company last year in September after it had defaulted on payments running into crores, asking the company to stop using his name and likeness.

Now, the batting legend has filed a civil lawsuit in an Australian court. It is still unclear what damages were sought by Sachin. Interestingly, David Warner used a bat manufactured by Spartan while hitting 107 against Pakistan in the World Cup match in Taunton on Wednesday. Mahendra Singh Dhoni too has used the bats by the same manufacturer in the past. 

Warner has reportedly signed a new deal with Spartan but it is unclear whether or not he had been paid a portion of his contract. A court ruling in Australia last year ordered the sports gear and equipment company to be liquidated, which in turn could affect the players associated with Spartan Sports. The court website showed the lawsuit was filed on June 5, with the first court date in Sydney on June 26.

Michael Clarke and Kevin Pietersen are among other cricketers Spartan has had on its books over the years. The company has been sued in the past too. Australian Test cricketers Mitchell Johnson and Joe Burns had sued Spartan over an alleged shortfall in contract payments.

Tendulkar is the world`s leading run-scorer in Tests and one-day internationals, with more than 34,000 runs and 100 centuries, in a 24-year career that ended in 2013. In 2012, he was made an honorary member of the Order of Australia, one of the country`s highest civil awards.