NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians (MI) owner Nita Ambani recalled the remarkable journey of Hardik Pandya, from his early struggles to becoming the captain of the five-time IPL champions. Speaking about her first encounter with Hardik and his brother Krunal Pandya over a decade ago, she highlighted how MI’s scouting system identified and nurtured raw talent.
“In the IPL, we all have a fixed budget, so every team can spend a set amount of money. 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. My scouts and I would visit domestic cricket matches, and one day, our scouts took two young, lanky, thin boys to the camp,” Nita Ambani said.
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She recalled a conversation with the Pandya brothers that revealed their financial hardships before making it big in cricket. “I was talking to them, and they said that for three years, they had eaten nothing but Maggi noodles because they had no money. But in them, I saw the spirit, the passion, and the hunger to make it big. Those two brothers were Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya. In 2015, I bought Hardik Pandya for 10,000 US dollars in the auction, and today, he is the proud captain of Mumbai Indians.”
Hardik made his MI debut in 2015, and the following year, he earned his India cap. Over the years, he became an integral part of the Indian cricket team, known for his explosive batting, all-round capabilities, and leadership skills.
Nita Ambani also recalled MI’s discovery of Jasprit Bumrah, who has since become one of the world’s premier fast bowlers. “Our scouts found a young cricketer with an odd body language, and they said, ‘watch him bowl.’ We watched him, and he could just speak to the ball. That was our Bumrah, and the rest is history.”
She further emphasised MI’s commitment to developing young talent, citing the rise of Tilak Varma, who recently broke into the Indian team. “Recently, we launched Tilak Varma, and now he is a proud member of Team India,” she added.
Hardik Pandya’s journey exemplifies the Mumbai Indians’ ethos of identifying and backing young players with potential, turning them into world-class cricketers.
