Mumbai Indians is a franchise cricket team of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In 2008, the franchise was successfully bid by IndiaWin Sports Pvt. Ltd.; a group company of Reliance Industries Ltd. Reliance is India’s largest private sector company and has consistently climbed the Fortune Global 500 list (www.ril.com). Founded by the charismatic Mr Dhirubhai Ambani, Reliance is now spearheaded by none other than its Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Mukesh Ambani.

The Mumbai Indians team is captained by Ricky Ponting! The team has a youthful balance of experienced cricketers as well as talented youngsters from India and other nations. Mentored by former legendary Indian leg spinner Anil Kumble, the team is coached by John Wright, while Robin Singh and the prolific South African fielder Jonathan (Jonty) Rhodes are an integral part of the coaching setup.

The team is closely followed by millions of fans across the globe. It is the largest social sport brand in India with a fan base of close to 3 million on Facebook alone.  

One of the main reasons for such a strong fan-base can be well ascribed to the strong team values - both on and off the field. The franchise promotes togetherness, team spirit and cohesiveness within diversity much akin to the values that are seen and felt in the enigmatic city of Mumbai. 

‘Play Like One’ - one of the most prominent and practiced values by the franchise and its players. The teams’ triumph in the 2011 Champions League, defying all odds,  goes a long way in further re-affirming this.  

Promoting and Nurturing Cricketing Talent - has for long been the franchise’s objective. Since the inception, Mumbai Indians has emphasized on scouting for talented domestic players and has succeeded in nurturing and harnessing their potential to play at the highest level. 

Chasing Excellence - a value that the team imbibes from Mrs Nita Ambani who has passionately worked with the team over the last 3 years. She has instilled new confidence in the team and infused the will to win!

Mrs Ambani is the Chairperson of Reliance Foundation; Chairperson of Dhirubhai Ambani International School; President of H N Hospital & Research Centre; and Chairperson of IMG Reliance. Recently she has joined the Board of Directors of East India Hotels - the company that runs the Oberoi chain of hotels and manages the Trident properties in India. In about two decades, she has made significant contribution to the social sector, especially in edducation, healthcare, environmental protection and sports. She is also the guiding spirit behind the Mumbai Indians' Education for All initiative which supports five partner NGOs: Akanksha, Nanhi Kali, Pratham, Teach For India, and Ummeed.

THE HOME OF THE MUMBAI INDIANS

Mumbai, inarguably for a long time has been the cricket capital of India. And today, most of the cricket matches in the city evolve and revolve around the Wankhede Stadium. Initially it was the Brabourne Stadium, Cricket Club of India (CCI), but since 1975 Wankhede Stadium has played an anchor in the journey of cricket for Mumbai as well as for India. 

The first international game staged at the Wankhede Stadium was between India and West Indies in 1975. Incidentally, it was the decider between the two teams after they were squared at 2-2 in the five match Test series. Unfortunately, for the fans the Indian team lost.

Over the years, this historic stadium has witnessed some of the best matches and individual heroics. Cricket fanatics would still have fond memories of their local hero Sunil Gavaskar scoring 205 against the mighty bowlers from the Caribbean in 1978-79.  One of the best all-round performances by a cricketer was seen at this venue, when England’s Ian Botham scored a century and picked up 13 wickets to clinch the tie for his team in the Jubilee Test in 1980. And, who can forget the mayhem caused by former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri when he went hammer and tongs by hitting 6 sixes in an over off Tilak Raj in a Ranji Trophy encounter? 

Also, the most significant and defining moment in Indian cricket too came at the same venue, when India marched on to win the 2011 World Cup defeating Sri Lanka in the finals. 

Besides, the rich history of accomplishments by players and teams, the Wankhede Stadium is also renowned for its electrifying atmosphere. The stands, structure and the buzzing noise constantly generated by the vociferous crowd is quite an exhilarating experience. Cricketers across the globe have very much expressed their excitement and sometimes even intimidation about featuring in a game at this venue.  

The Wankhede stadium is also home to the Mumbai Indians and plays host to all the MI –IPL games. Needless to say, the support that Mumbai Indians have received from their home fans over the last few years is quite staggering and unparalleled. And the manner in which the crowd greets their local hero- Sachin Tendulkar is a mind-numbing experience.

At the moment, the Wankhede stadium presents a new look. The stadium today provides world-class facilities to the cricketers and the support staff.  With new stands, floodlights and bucket seats the spectators can expect a thrilling experience like never-before. It would be no overstatement to term the Wankhede stadium as one of the best cricketing grounds in the world.