'Hardik, Krunal ate Maggi for 3 years, they had no money': Nita Ambani recalls first meeting with Pandya brothers

Nita Ambani reveals first meeting with Hardik and Krunal Pandya. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)

Mumbai Indians have a tremendous scouting team finding talent all over the country and the fact that they have won the IPL five times is proof of that. For years, MI have nurtured talented players who have gone on to become stars of the Indian cricket team. Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah have been regular in the Men in Blue side for almost ten years now.

Hardik and Bumrah’s journey to stardom—first with Mumbai Indians and later with the Indian cricket team—exemplifies how MI has a keen eye for talent, offering players the perfect platform to develop and thrive.

Mrs. Nita Ambani, owner of the Mumbai Indians, recently revealed her first meeting with Hardik and his brother Krunal Pandya. Hardik debuted for Mumbai Indians in 2015 and earned his India cap the following year.

His achievements since then have been remarkable, but they wouldn’t have been possible without MI’s exceptional scouting system. From emerging as an all-rounder to leading the franchise as captain, Hardik’s journey serves as an inspiration for the next generation of cricketers.

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"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," she said.

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"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."