Mohandas Pai and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw have come out in support of Vijay Mallya, crediting him for building Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) into a valuable brand after its recent ownership transition.
The reactions come after Mallya shared a nostalgic note on X, reflecting on his association with the franchise. “I would like to heartily congratulate the new owners of RCB. I wish them the very best and Godspeed with the most valuable IPL franchise. When I bought the franchise in 2008 for INR 450 crores, most people laughed at me and criticised my investment as a vanity project. Behind my much touted madnesses was building the Royal Challenge brand and hence I named the franchise RCB. Immensely gratifying to see my INR 450 crore investment grow to INR 16,500 crores,” Vijay Mallya wrote.
He added, “RCB will always remain a part of my DNA with indelible memories including picking the young Virat Kohli who is now amongst the best in the World. To all RCB fans who came on board during my stewardship and beyond, a grateful thank you and please continue to support RCB the Lion of Bengaluru. Namaskara.”
Reacting to this, former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai wrote, “Feel very sorry for @vijaymallya. He invested in, built @RCB into a great brand and great asset for his city. Karma willed otherwise.”
{{/usCountry}}Reacting to this, former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai wrote, “Feel very sorry for @vijaymallya. He invested in, built @RCB into a great brand and great asset for his city. Karma willed otherwise.”
{{/usCountry}}Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw echoed the sentiment, saying, “Agree. He must be credited with building RCB as such a valuable brand.”
(Also Read: Royal Challengers Bengaluru sold to USD 1.78 billion consortium led by Aditya Birla Group)
Who are RCB’s new owners?
A consortium including the Aditya Birla Group, Blackstone’s BXPE arm, Bolt Ventures, and the Times of India Group has acquired RCB in a deal valued at $1.78 billion (around ₹16,660 crore). The "all-cash" deal was announced by the United Spirits Limited (USL), the existing owner of the RCB teams in the IPL and WPL.
Now, under the new structure, Aryaman Vikram Birla will serve as Chairman, while Satyan Gajwani has been named Vice Chairman.