Mumbai Indians (MI) owner Nita Ambani recently reminisced about her first conversation with all-rounders Hardik and Krunal Pandya. She met the brothers nearly a decade ago during a preparatory camp.
Ambani shared that the Pandya brothers revealed they survived solely on Maggi noodles for three years due to financial struggles. Hardik Pandya was signed by MI in 2015, made his India debut in 2016, and returned as the team’s captain in 2024.
“I was talking to them, and they said that for three years, they’ve eaten nothing but Maggi noodles because they’ve had no money. But in them, I saw the spirit, the passion and the hunger that they wanted to make it big.”
“Those two brothers were Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya. In 2015, I bought Hardik Pandya at 10 thousand US dollars in the auction, and today, he’s the proud captain of Mumbai Indians,” Ambani was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
Nita Ambani, the owner of Mumbai Indians, also reminisced about attending Ranji Trophy matches to scout emerging talent, a process that ultimately led to the discovery of the ‘lanky’ Pandya brothers.
“In IPL, we all have a fixed budget, so every team can spend x amount of money, so we had to think about new ways of getting talent… So I remember scouting for talent, and I used to go to every Ranji Trophy match, and my scouts and I would go to all these domestic cricket matches. And one day, our scouts took two young, lanky, thin boys to the camp,” Nita Ambani said.
Nita Ambani calls Mumbai Indians a talent hub for Indian cricket
Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani also shared how they discovered Jasprit Bumrah in 2013. Today, he is one of the top fast bowlers in world cricket.
“Our scouts got one young cricketer with an odd body language, and they said watch him bowl. We watched him he could just speak to the ball. That was our Bumrah and the rest is history,” she stated.
Nita Ambani emphasized Mumbai Indians’ success in discovering talented cricketers through their scouting system. She mentioned Tilak Varma as an example, who has now progressed to representing India at the international level.
“Last year, we launched Tilak Varma, and now he is a proud member of Team India. So I think Mumbai Indians is rightfully called the nursery of cricket in India,” she said.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
