I Couldn't Have Made Better Decisions Than Bidding for Kohli in IPL 2008 Auction: Vijay Mallya

Vijay Mallya, former owner of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), revealed that he had no regrets when he bid for star batter Virat Kohli in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. He also believes that it's RCB's best chance to win their maiden IPL trophy after the prolonged wait of 16 years.

Hyderabad:Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) owner Vijay Mallya on Wednesday asserted that he could not have made better decisions than biding for prolific India batter Virat Kohli in the mega-auction of the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Faf du Plessis-led RCB made an incredible comeback in the ongoing IPL 2024 season, winning six games on the trot after losing as many consecutive games and qualified for the playoffs through a terrific 27-run victory over Chennai Super Kings. Bengaluru-based franchise will face Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator clash at the world's largest stadium - Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Notably, RCB have qualified for the fourth time for the playoffs in last five editions of the cash-rich league. "When I bid for the RCB franchise and I bid for Virat (Kohli), my inner instinct told me that I could not have made better choices. My inner instinct tells me that RCB have the best chance to go for the IPL Trophy. Onward and Upward. Best of luck," Mallya posted on his X account.

Mallya is accused in a bank loan default matter of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines. He has been living in the United Kingdom since March 2016. The same year he had to forego his ownership of RCB due to the legal proceedings against him.

However, Mallya was trolled over the internet following his post regarding RCB and Virat Kohli. The most comments were regarding the scam he was involved in and asking him to visit India to watch his former team's match from the stadium.

"What did your inner instinct tell you about SBI?" wrote Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket), a social media user.

"First time in 4 years,your tweet popped on a non-holiday. We can think of clearing your debt with IPL’s prize money..Come back chicha…miss u," wrote Avishek Goyal (@AG_knocks).

"It would be lovely to see you come to watch IPL final and we might get a chance to see you in TV enjoying match," wrote Afzal Memon (@Afzalmeman092).

Former skipper Virat Kohli was one of the U-19 cricketers who was in the draft and roped in the RCB squad for ₹12 Lakhs in the IPL 2008. He had set his price ₹2 lakhs, which was the lowest base price in that season. A few months later after the IPL, Virat received his maiden call-up for the Indian team and rest is history.

The 35-year-old became the captain of the franchise in 2013 edition of the IPL and led his side to the finals in 2016 which they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by mere eight runs. Despite the three stitches to his left thumb, he was the leading scorer of the franchise with 973 runs 17 games, which is still the record most tally of runs in the single season of the IPL.

Virat Kohli, who hails from Delhi, led RCB in 140 matches, winning 66 and losing as many as 70. Until 2022, he was also the highest paid cricketer in IPL with 17 crore.

Since then, the right-hand batter has represented RCB only and recently became the only player to play 250 IPL games for a single franchise in franchise league tournaments during the match against Delhi Capitals (DC). He needs 29 runs to became the first player to amass 8,000 runs in the history of the tournament. He holds the record of smashing second-most fours and third leading six hitter of the cash-rich league.

They need to win the next three games to emerge triumphant and lift their maiden IPL trophy. The summit clash of the IPL will be played on Sunday, May 26 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

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