Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani was all praise for Nita for the manner in which she handled Mumbai Indians and build it as a brand over the last 10 years.
“I have to congratulate Nita. A lot of us at Reliance say that we are very proud of what Reliance has done over the years, but I think with both her school (Dhirubhai Ambani International School) and cricket (Mumbai Indians) Nita has built a bigger brand for Reliance, said Mukesh at an event to celebrate 10 years of the franchise.
“Mumbai Indians came silently and unexpectedly in our life and now it has become an integral part of all our feelings and our being. It has been one of the most beautiful journeys that presented us, 10 years of wonderful memories. 10 years of new friendship and bonding, and 10 years of prayers, but we will not trade these 10 years for anything else,” Nita was quoted as saying in a PTI report.
Nita credited former mentor Anil Kumble for MI's first title win. “It was under Anil’s mentorship that we won our first IPL trophy in 2013. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of legends like Ricky Ponting, Shaun Pollack and Zaheer Khan, and of course our winning captains Harbhajan Singh and Rohit Sharma,” she said.
Nita also congratulated Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan and Lasith Malinga for completing 10 years with the IPL franchise. “10 is a very auspicious number. 10 is associated with 10 avatars, 10 commandments, 10 gurus of Sikhism, 10 card of tarot that stands for the wheel of fortune and for Indians, 10 means Sachin Tendulkar. From the beginning, Sachin is an inseparable part of Mumbai Indians, for 10 years, now and forever,” she added.
“I thank my husband Mukesh for challenging me to take up a role that I was not ready for and neither qualified to do. It was his unconditional faith in me that inspired me to understand the game of cricket, to build and inspire a winning team,” Nita added.
--By A Cricket Correspondent
