His team may finally have gotten its hands on an IPL trophy after having to wait patiently for 18 long years, but that doesn’t mean former Royal Challengers Bengaluru owner Vijay Mallya still has some ambitions for the team he founded all the way back in 2008.
In the days following RCB’s IPL 2025 Final victory over Punjab Kings, Mallya has spoken a lot about the early days of RCB and the long process to get to this point and lifting the trophy, in their fourth final.
Mallya also answered a question regarding if there were a limit on players who could purchase for RCB in the auction, who they would be. Mallya had a prompt answer, naming four names and clearly indicating who he sees as the best cricketers in the country at the moment.
"If dreams could come true, Jasprit Bumrah. If dreams could come true Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. If I had these four I wouldn't need anybody else and would definitely win the trophy," said Mallya on Raj Shamani’s podcast.
While RCB once called local boy KL Rahul their own, they have never been able to call the other three players their own. Pant, Kumar, and Bumrah were all part of India’s T20 World Cup winning squad in 2024, and are seen as the backbone of the national team for years to come.
‘The privilege of picking King Kohli…’
{{/usCountry}}While RCB once called local boy KL Rahul their own, they have never been able to call the other three players their own. Pant, Kumar, and Bumrah were all part of India’s T20 World Cup winning squad in 2024, and are seen as the backbone of the national team for years to come.
‘The privilege of picking King Kohli…’
{{/usCountry}}Nevertheless, it was someone Bangalore has always had in their team that did win them the league, as Mallya’s investment in the potential and the youth of Virat Kohli in 2008 has been repaid ten-fold with what a servant Kohli has become for the team. In 2025, Kohli was RCB’s top-scorer yet again, the spine of the team while players such as Phil Salt, Josh Hazlewood, and Jitesh Sharma amongst many others stood up and performed.
“When I founded RCB it was my dream that the IPL trophy should come to Bengaluru,” Mallya had written on his X profile after RCB’s win in Ahmedabad. “I had the privilege of picking the legendary King Kohli as a youngster and it is remarkable that he has stayed with RCB for 18 years.”