June 6: The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team is in the news right now. The team ended the title drought of 18 seasons. The RCB team became the champion for the first time, but their celebration turned into mourning after reaching Bangalore. During the celebration outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, there was a stampede in the crowd of fans and 11 people lost their lives. Apart from this, more than 50 people were also injured. The RCB team has been a part of the league since 2008, but it became the champion for the first time in the 18th season. During this time many star players came and went, but one player who remained in the team for 18 seasons is Virat Kohli. After the team’s victory, fans also remembered fugitive Vijay Mallya, who is also the first owner of this franchise.
Big disclosure of fugitive Mallya in podcast
Mallya remains a wanted fugitive in India. However, he took part in a podcast with Raj Shamani and revealed that he had bid for a total of three franchises, including Mumbai Indians. However, Mallya could not buy Mumbai, as Mukesh Ambani had quoted the highest price. After losing MI by the smallest margin, Mallya finally bought RCB by paying an amount of US $ 112 million (then). At that time i.e. in 2008, the value of US $ 112 million was Rs 600-700 crore. Mallya said that his only purpose behind buying RCB was to promote his whiskey brand ‘Royal Challenge’. There was no love for cricket behind it.
I was very happy with Lalit Modi’s words
Mallya said in the podcast, ‘I was very impressed with the pitch Lalit Modi made to the BCCI committee regarding this league. He called me one day and said okay the teams are going to be auctioned. Are you interested in buying any of these teams? So I showed interest in three franchises and bid and I could not buy the Mumbai franchise by a very small margin.’
IPL seen as a game changer’
Mallya said, ‘When I bid for the RCB franchise in 2008, I saw the IPL as a game changer for Indian cricket. My thinking was to create a team that would give the spirit of Bangalore (then name) a lively, dynamic, glamorous look. I paid $112 million. It was the second-highest bid, because I believed in the potential. I wanted to make RCB a brand that would look excellent not only on the field but also off it. That’s why I linked it to Royal Challenge, one of our best-selling liquor brands, to give it that bold identity.’
Mallya told why he bought Kohli?
During the conversation, Mallya also talked about buying Virat Kohli in the auction. Although Kohli was expected to be bought by his state team, Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils), the Delhi franchise decided to go for Pradeep Sangwan, giving RCB the opportunity to sign Virat. Mallya said, ‘I chose players who can make RCB a powerhouse. It was a proud moment for me to buy Virat Kohli, a young player from the Under-19 World Cup team.
I had a feeling inside that this player is special. So I bid for him. He was playing the Under-19 World Cup shortly before the selection process and I was very impressed with him. So, I picked him and it is amazing that after 18 years he is still with the same team. He was a young kid at the time when I brought him, but you know he is full of energy, a great talent and he is one of the greatest Indian cricketers of all time.’
Mallya told why he bought Dravid-Kumble?
Mallya said, ‘Rahul Dravid was chosen as our icon player and there was no second thought in this because he was the pride of Bangalore. We also brought global stars like Jacques Kallis, Anil Kumble and Zaheer Khan. I wanted a mix of local heroes and international temperament. My dream was to bring the IPL trophy to Bangalore and I built the team with that goal in mind.’
Mallya’s statement on post-match parties
RCB’s after-match parties also made a lot of headlines during Vijay Mallya’s presence. Mallya said that adding glamour to his team was also a deliberate effort. He said, ‘I wanted RCB to be more than a cricket team. It was about building a lifestyle brand. Cheerleaders, fans coming together after parties, all this was done deliberately to make RCB the most exciting franchise. Kingfisher and Royal Challenge were the sponsors, so we took advantage of that and made each match an event. People called it flashy, but it was strategic. Bangalore loved it and RCB became the heartbeat of the city.’ When asked which players would he choose for RCB in today’s time? On this Mallya chose Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul.
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