Inside Hardik Pandya and the Ambani family’s special bond: from Mukesh’s letter that made the Mumbai Indians star cricketer cry, to Nita’s visit after his surgery

Nov 20 , 2021

Mumbai Indians’ Hardik Pandya is more than just an employee to the Ambanis. Photos: @hardikpandya7/Twitter, @hardikpandya93/Instagram

Since the Mumbai Indians cricketer met the Ambani clan, his bond with them has only grown stronger, becoming ‘tremendous’ friends with Akash Ambani for starters

He scored an invite to Akash and Shloka Mehta’s wedding along with Bollywood A-lister guests, and his enthusiastic dancing with Karan Johar even went viral

Hardik Pandya is a famous cricketer whose personal life is always in the spotlight. He plays for the Mumbai Indians – a team owned by India’s richest family, the Ambanis. But his relationship with Mukesh, Nita and their eldest son Akash goes far beyond that of employer and employee. In fact, Pandya and the Ambanis have a connection that’s so strong, they’ve shared many an emotional moment together.

Here’s a look at their one-of-a-kind relationship.

Family from the start

Pandya’s relationship with the Ambanis began back in 2015, at the start of his IPL career. Despite being a relative newbie, Pandya went on to cement his name in the cricket world, winning four IPL titles for the Mumbai Indians, the team owned by the Ambanis. Since then, his life has changed dramatically and his bond with the family who took a chance on him has only deepened.

The Nita connection

In 2019, the cricket player went to London to undergo surgery for his lower back. He was with the team’s physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar at the time, according to Economic Times, and was also celebrating his birthday. As he was recovering, he got a surprise visit from Nita Ambani. She was in London to deliver a keynote address at the Leaders Week 2019 conference and made time to pop in.

Pandya tweeted a picture of himself with Nita and referred to her as bhabhi, which means “sister-in-law” in Hindi, but is also used to express affection towards female friends.

Akash: his boss and friend