OMGSACHIN: Sachin Tendulkar Set to Communicate With Fans Via Facebook & Twitter Throughout The IPL Season

Lance Armstrong famously did it. Serena Williams has been at it. Rio Ferdinand is an addict. And now Sachin Tendulkar is all set to join that elite gang.

Social network - connecting online with fans, interacting with budding sportspersons, expressing gratitude for their support and sharing thoughts and personal experiences while on the field and off it - Tendulkar will do it all, starting this Indian Premier League season.

In a first of its kind initiative, the Mumbai Indians franchise has brought Tendulkar and his teammates Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga, along with members of the support staff like former South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock together and put them on the same page: 'MI Paltan'.

The idea is to communicate. For a while, IPL franchises have been trying to build a certain connect with fans on social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. Throughout the IPL season and post it, budding cricketers can look forward to directly interacting with Tendulkar and his teammates and discuss cricket.

"Fans have always supported us (Mumbai Indians). We wanted to thank each one of them. Building upon this thought, the MI management came up with the idea of getting players to reach out to each one of the fans and express our gratitude for their support. This will particularly help in inviting them (fans) to interact more and more on the social platform," said a MI spokesperson.

The campaign is set to roll out in a three-phase plan, and will keep the fans engaged for the full IPL season. Tendulkar himself is pretty excited about the idea.

"It's a great opportunity to interact with fans and getting to know what they think. For many of us, it is going to be a first-time experience," says Harbhajan.

During his battle with cancer, Armstrong stayed connected with his fans throughout, sharing his recovery process. Other than her tennis, fashion's been big on Serena's list of priorities and she's used social networking platforms to engage with those who've followed her. Ferdinand's been such a Twitter addict that it famously led Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson to think that the defender invented it.

Tendulkar boards that wagon now.