How RCB Chose Virat Kohli: Vijay Mallya Tells The Untold Story

Raj Shamani’s podcast with Vijay Mallya – The Rise & Downfall of Kingfisher Airlines, Loans, and RCB – has gone crazily viral; it is all over the internet! In the 4-hour episode, the former RCB owner shares his journey, including how he picked a 19-year-old Virat Kohli for the team in 2008. And the rest is history.
Vijay Mallya’s Early Vision for IPL
After 18 long years, RCB finally won their first IPL title in 2025, beating Punjab Kings in the final. As fans celebrated, many remembered the man who started it all – Vijay Mallya.
Vijay Mallya, the former owner of United Breweries Group, is currently a wanted man in India. But in a now-viral podcast, he shares his version of how it all started – with the IPL, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Virat Kohli.
“I was very impressed with the pitch that Lalit Modi made to the BCCI committee about this league. He called me one day and said ok, teams are going to be auctioned. Are you going to buy it? So, I bid from three franchises, and I lost Mumbai by a very small amount of money,” Mallya said.
At first, Mallya wanted to buy the Mumbai Indians and even placed bids for three IPL teams. But Mukesh Ambani won the bid for MI, beating Mallya by a small margin. That’s how Mallya ended up buying Royal Challengers Bengaluru for around 600–700 crore INR in 2008.
The former Kingfisher Airlines owner saw the IPL as a big moment for Indian cricket – and that’s what got him interested. “When I bid for the RCB franchise in 2008, I saw the IPL as a game-changer for Indian cricket,” he said in the now-viral podcast.
For Vijay Mallya, it wasn’t just about winning matches. His love for cricket pulled him into the IPL, but his goal was bigger. He wanted to turn Royal Challengers Bengaluru into a strong and unique brand, both on and off the field. And in many ways, he succeeded. Today, RCB has the biggest fan base in IPL history.
“I wanted RCB to be more than a cricket team. It was about creating a lifestyle brand. The after-parties, the cheerleaders, the fan engagement–it was all deliberate to make RCB the most exciting franchise. Kingfisher and Royal Challenge were sponsors, so we leveraged that to make every match an event. People called it flashy, but it was strategic. Bangalore loved it, and RCB became the city’s heartbeat,” Vijay Mallya said.
The 2025 Triumph: RCB Finally Wins the IPL
One of the biggest reasons RCB has such a huge fan following is because of one man – Virat Kohli. He joined the team 18 years ago at just 19 years old and has stayed loyal ever since. Year after year, even when the team didn’t win, he kept coming back. And finally, this year, that loyalty paid off.
Now we know why RCB picked Kohli in the first place. In the viral podcast with Raj Shamani, Vijay Mallya shared what went into signing the young star in 2008. “I handpicked players who could make RCB a powerhouse. My biggest pride was spotting Virat Kohli, a youngster from the Under-19 World Cup team,” said Mallya.
At that time, Kohli had just led India to win the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, beating South Africa by 12 runs (DLS method). His performance caught attention, but Mallya said it was his gut feeling that made the decision. “Something told me he was special, and I bid for him.”
Mallya also explained how the team was built. “Getting Rahul Dravid as our icon player was a no-brainer. He was Bangalore’s pride. We also brought in global stars like Jacques Kallis, Anil Kumble, and Zaheer Khan. I wanted a mix of local heroes and international flair. My dream was to bring the IPL trophy to Bangalore, and I built the team with that goal in mind.”
Talking about Kohli’s early days, Mallya added, “I was very impressed with him. So, I picked him, and it’s wonderful. 18 years later, he’s still there. He was a young kid back then, full of energy, great talent, and now, one of the greatest Indian cricketers ever.”
Who Are The Current Owners Of RCB?
As of 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru is fully owned by United Spirits Limited, which is part of the British company Diageo.
Back in 2008, Vijay Mallya bought the team through United Spirits and Kingfisher Airlines. But in 2016, Mallya left India due to loan default allegations. After that, Diageo took full control of United Spirits and the RCB team.
Since then, RCB has been run professionally by United Spirits, which has moved away from all the controversies linked to Mallya.
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