MUMBAI: Known for her sharp storytelling and fresh perspective in the entertainment space, producer Mitu has added a new identity to her list—an everyday cricket enthusiast who recently found herself cheering at Wankhede Stadium after nearly four decades. “It was Boom Boom Bumrah’s first match of this IPL, and RCB was playing MI—me and my daughter’s favourite teams—so it was a no-brainer,” says Mitu. She credits her cousin Dhananjay Chak, host of the popular cricket podcast One Tip One Hand, for helping her land tickets. “It was the least I could do for my cricket-crazy daughter,” she adds. From telling stories on screen to watching them unfold on the pitch, cricket has always had a special place in Mitu’s life. “Seeing history unfold in front of my eyes is exciting and thrilling,” she says of her experience watching the match live after about 40 years.As she continues “For me the moment of the match was Bumrah bowling to Virat. That moment when you cheer for cricket as a sport and not any team, that’s when greatness is reached…It was electric and wonderful.. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” Her passion isn’t just as a spectator. Mitu recently played for her daughter s parents school team and then in her society’s Palm Premier League (PPL), where she won her first-ever ‘Player of the Match’ award— this was before the wrist injury, after which a few months later she has a sports fracture . “I had just recovered from my first fracture, and when I got back on the pitch, I tripped and broke my wrist again,” she recalls. “But cricket is my childhood sport, my first love. It makes me feel alive and young.” Balancing her busy work schedule and cricket may sound tough, but Mitu says it’s all about passion. “It’s a great break from work. Just the sound of the ball hitting the bat—it’s like music to my ears.” She has also been working on a show tentatively called PITCH BHI MERIwhich centres around cricket and a woman cricketer. She knows the day it will be made it will be a cult show. “When you write something from passion and your heart, it rarely goes wrong.” This IPL, she’s supporting four teams—RCB, Gujarat Titans, Rajasthan Royals, and Lucknow SuperGiants (as a nod to her hometown). Her cricketing icons range from legends like Gavaskar and Dravid to today’s stars like Bumrah, Siraj, and Shubman Gill. For Mitu, cricket isn’t just a sport. It’s an emotion—one that connects her past to her present, and now, to her daughter’s future. The biggest statement that warmed her heart yesterday was when her daughter said “one day mamma you will see me play on these grounds.” It was like life taking a full circle. She feels “when we were kids girls playing cricket was still the exception but now with times being so changed, today girls can look at a career in the game without anyone raising eyebrows!” It’s just heartening
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