Even though the result may not have been the one we wanted, 21,000 underprivileged children had a memorable day at the Wankhede Stadium as Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals took part in a thriller. These children from different NGOs are a part of the Education & Sports for All (ESA) initiative by the Reliance Foundation for Mumbai Indians and received a once in a lifetime opportunity to see their heroes in action from the stands on ESA day.

The enthusiastic youngsters in MI colours created a sea of blue and a cauldron of noise at the Wankhede while cheering on their favourite stars. Mumbai Indians and Mrs. Nita Ambani began supporting underprivileged students through the Education for All (EFA) initiative in 2010. The EFA later evolved to ESA two years ago and Saturday’s clash was the 10th anniversary of ESA day. Over the past decade, ESA has impacted more than 18 million lives all across India.

Earlier in the week, 40 children from multiple NGOs received a chance to interact with Mrs. Ambani and the MI squad. These kids and MI painted a picturesque ESA mural that was on display at the Wankhede on Saturday and a select few even danced to MI-themed songs with Rohit Sharma. This season’s ESA match was hence a culmination of what’s been a wonderful week together as #OneFamily. Ahead of the clash against Rajasthan, a few of our boys took to social media to show their support towards ESA day.