The Mumbai Indians, an IPL club owned by the Ambanis, have earned accolades from cricketer Dinesh Karthik for doing all within their power to help their players develop into the greatest players they can be. During an interview on his podcast, "Kutti Stories With Ash," with fellow cricketer Ravichandran Aswhin, Karthik expressed regret for not opting to remain with the Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2013.
The Mumbai Indians were the team he batted for throughout his two IPL seasons in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, he was a member of the Mumbai Indians winning team that raised the trophy, but in 2014, he made the decision to be put up for auction. Next, he played for the Delhi Capitals.
"MI offers practice materials and coach access to help you improve your skills anytime you want to. They're constantly there, fostering an environment that allows you to develop into the greatest player possible. That, in my opinion, was their first and most important learning experience, Karthik said.
"You may let MI know that you are aware that I would like to practice in between Ranji Trophy matches. They have a field, instructors, balls, and bowlers available. They have sidearmers; they'll provide you with everything you need to become the best version of yourself, including a place to stay and airline tickets. Therefore, by doing that, you are subtly telling the gamer that you care about them. Thus, it seems to me that MI does that.
He said that playing for the Mumbai Indians increases your chances of becoming a better player.
Do they anticipate outcomes? Yes, just like in any other franchise, but they're also giving you the tools to help you develop into the greatest player you can be, and we expect you to perform well for MI when you play for them. We trust you; if you don't do well for us, that's okay. And you have a far greater opportunity of honing your craft, expanding your skill set, and then participating in the Indian Premier League, where you can be sure that every single player helps the team achieve success as a unit," added Karthik.
The Indian cricket player said that the Mumbai Indians use significantly more expensive Kookaburra balls for practice.
They've established a pleasant habitat, and it's evident that they have a lovely property in Ghansoli. As I mentioned before, they have a ground and wickets for you. They possess balls. You must realize that my use of the word "balls" may come off as silly. Kookaburra balls cost Rs 15,000 each. Compared to other cricket balls, the Kookaburra ball is significantly different to play with. Thus, it costs Rs 3 lakh to give 20 to 30 balls for a practice session... that works out to Rs 3–4 lakh.
Karthik complimented the culture that has grown at Mumbai Indians in addition to spending.
They're prepared to pay a hefty price to watch you flourish and become the finest version of yourself, so why not succeed in that endeavor if you can also positively influence Mumbai Indians? I think they were pioneers in many ways in trying to provide an ecosystem to help you grow as a player, not only in the white ball format but in any format that you choose to, and I really like that culture where they were open to me coming and practicing with them whenever I needed whatever I needed at any point in time," the man stated.
“And if you really had to ask me, one of my IPL cricketing regrets would have to be that I didn't want to be retained in 2013. If I could go back in time and undo everything, I believe that as a young athlete, you sometimes need a life coach. If Abishek Nayar had been around at that point, I'm sure he would have advised me to play for the Mumbai Indians. I don't regret too much in my life. I'm not that sort of guy, but if I had to name two regrets from my IPL cricket career, they would be that I felt MI was a team that could have truly developed me into an even greater player, thus I decided not to be retained.”
“Additionally, it is evident that I have not been able to represent CSK thus far. Though I regret not being able to play, I do understand. Since I'm from Chennai and played all of my cricket there, I would have wanted to wear the yellow jersey, but despite this, I always have respect for them since they really make an effort to enter me in the auction each year.”
Karthik said that he might have chosen to remain with Mumbai Indians. "I was given the choice to be kept, but I turned it down because I reasoned that if I entered the auction as a regular little child hoping to try his luck, I would undoubtedly become a part of it. I just believed that my development as a player would have been much greater if I had been a member of the Mumbai Indians at that time. The type of team they established, the infrastructure they possessed, and their membership in the Rohit Sharma-led group. [Ricky] Ponting was excellent, and the proprietors treated me very nicely.
“I had an excellent rapport with Anant, Nita, and Akash Ambani, and to a lesser degree, with Ambani bhabhi. I had an excellent relationship with them, but looking back, it has been ten years since I thought that I had lost out on something in Mumbai. I believed that if I had been a member of that squad, it would have helped me develop both as a cricket player and as a person."
The other teams Karthik has played for in Indian Premier Leaguge include the Gujarat Lions (2016, 2017), Kolkata Knight Riders (2018–2021), Royal Challengers Bangalore (2015, 2022–2024), Delhi Daredevils (now the Delhi Capitals; 2008, 2009, 2014), and Kings XI Punjab (now the Punjab Kings; 2011).
