The Ambanis and cricket: From 1987 world cup to IPL

Mention Anil Ambani and the sport that comes to mind is long distance running (in trend-setting shoes). Where cricket goes, it is associated more with his brother Mukesh and sister-in-law Nita, owners of the Mumbai Indians. But it being World Cup cricket time, we are reminded of 1987, when Anil Ambani was closely involved with one-day cricket’s summit event.

The 1987 World Cup, held in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, was a milestone in cricket’s history. It marked the shifting of the game’s epicentre from England, which hosted the first three World Cups, to the Asian subcontinent.

Reliance were the sponsors. And when Allan Border’s Australia edged Mike Gatting’s England in the fi nal at the Eden Gardens, Ambani was on the dais to present the trophy to Border, with father Dhirubhai by his side.