Vijay Mallya has shared a nostalgic message following the transition of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to new ownership. While wishing the new owners "Godspeed," Mallya looked back at when he “bought the franchise in 2008 for INR 450 crores”.
“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.”
Social media reacts:
An individual wrote, “From a ‘vanity project’ to a billion-dollar legacy… that’s a story in itself.” Another added, “Credits for RCB success go to you.”
{{/usCountry}}An individual wrote, “From a ‘vanity project’ to a billion-dollar legacy… that’s a story in itself.” Another added, “Credits for RCB success go to you.”
{{/usCountry}}A third expressed, “I was among the sceptics who thought T20 would not work, and here we are. Great investment, just wish you were still in the driving seat. Truly a great brand linked to our city.” A fourth commented, “The greatest investment you made was to pick Virat Kohli. That guy has single-handedly carried the franchise on his shoulders; otherwise, this team would have faded into oblivion long ago.”
In a 2025 tweet, Mallya recalled when he picked Virat Kohli for RCB. “When I founded RCB it was my dream that the IPL trophy should come to Bengaluru. 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,” he had written as a part of his then tweet. He shared the post after the franchise lifted the IPL trophy for the first time in 2025.
Who are RCB’s new owners?
A consortium comprising Indian and global business entities took over RCB in an all-cash deal valued at $1.78 billion (approximately ₹16,660 crore). According to United Spirits Limited (USL), the group that purchased the franchise includes the Aditya Birla Group, Blackstone’s perpetual private equity arm BXPE, Bolt Ventures, and the Times of India Group.