A game close to all our hearts at Mumbai Indians

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Every season, one particular matchday rises above scorecards and standings for the entire Mumbai Indians family. This is designated as the ESA (Education and Sports for All) Day game, bringing to life the initiative’s mission to empower young minds, inspire ambition, and instill the joy of sports and learning. This is a day that goes beyond cricket where children are invited at the Wankhede Stadium, to watch and cheer their favourite cricketers. Mumbai Indians provide them with a once in a lifetime experience they will cherish for eternity as they get to watch their superheroes live in action. 😁💙

For the players, this game carries a different emotion. They are not just playing in front of fans; they are playing in front of young dreamers. Over the years, ESA day has grown into one of the most emotional traditions in IPL. The noise from junior Paltan is unmatched, reminding everyone in the stadium why sport has the power to inspire beyond boundaries. 🔊💯

Sharing his thoughts on the ESA Day game during the post-match interview at Eden Garden yesterday, MI skipper Hardik Pandya said, “The ESA game is for the children. We just want to make sure that we come and get smiles on those kids' faces. Let them come and watch us play, we will entertain them and make them happy. I think it will be a lifetime memory for them.” 💙

Rohit Sharma echoed similar emotions, “Education is such an important part of our life and raising awareness around it is also very important. Credit to the Reliance Foundation, our owner Mrs. Nita Ambani for bringing it out there for the world to see. Especially thousands of kids who come and watch the game. It is a very special game for us.”

“Every year we try to make it very special for the kids. For them to come and experience a cricket match is something very exciting. Not just only for them, but also for us because we know when we were kids, it was so tough to get into the stadium and to watch a game live is a surreal experience. We want to give them something great to take back as they are so enthusiastic about how we play. We have seen it over the years; they come and cheer non-stop for three and a half hours…which is not easy for small children. We are going to try our best, give everything we have and make sure they go back smiling and happy. They should always carry that in their memory…they were at Wankhede to witness a very special game.”

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