Thackeray was accompanied by his son Aditya and the father and son duo played a couple of overs while Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut bowled to them.
The tournament has been dedicated to senior journalist J Dey who was shot dead in June last year.
"J Dey was a very close friend of ours and a mentor of the academy and used to religiously come almost daily during the tournament over the years," said Calvin Joshua, the general secretary of the academy.
The final of the tournament will be played on May 26, he added. PTI SSR DK SSC