“I could not have made…”: Ex-RCB owner Vijay Mallya on Kohli

PTI, May 22, 2024, 2:47 PM IST

Vijay Mallya (Credit: PTI / File)

New Delhi: Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru owner Vijay Mallya on Wednesday said he couldn’t have made a better choice when he bid for Virat Kohli in the inaugural IPL auction as he lauded the superstar batter for his brilliant run in the ongoing season.

RCB have made a tremendous comeback after losing seven out of their first eight games to qualify for the playoffs with six straight victories, riding on Kohli’s sublime form which has so far fetched him 708 runs from 14 innings.

RCB will face Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator on Wednesday night.

“When I bid for the RCB franchise and I bid for Virat, my inner instinct told me that I could not have made better choices,” Mallya, who currently lives in the United Kingdom and is trying to avoid extradition to India, wrote on ‘X’.

“My inner instinct tells me that RCB have the best chance to go for the IPL Trophy. Onward and Upward. Best of luck.”

Kohli was bought by RCB for USD 30,000 ahead of the 2008 IPL following his title-winning run with India’s U19 World Cup.

RCB, however, hasn’t been able to lift the trophy despite reaching the final thrice — in 2009, 2011 and 2016.

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.