How Vijay Mallya Transformed a Business Decision Into RCB's Iconic Legacy

It was a time back in 2008 when the Indian Premier League was initialized a lot of big business men were vying to acquire a franchise. Vijay Mallya who was already recognized as a businessman back then considered this as a golden chance not only for cricket but also from a business perspective. He shared in a podcast that he had first wanted to purchase the Mumbai Indians as they were available for sale but lost the bid by a very narrow margin. Later on, he had to purchase the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for approximately 112 million US dollars which was a huge sum at the time. He was sure that this investment would be a game changer and he envisioned massive potential in making RCB not only a team but a brand. At the time this amount was almost 600 to 700 crore rupees and it was the second-best bid in the first IPL auction.

Vijay Mallya admitted that he was impressed by Lalit Modi’s pitch to the BCCI and that convinced him to take part in the auction. He always had a flair for grandeur and style and he wanted RCB to reflect the same energy. He did not just want a cricket team that played matches and won games. His aim was much larger. He viewed it as a business proposition to market the liquor brand Royal Challenge extensively. In fact the team name Royal Challengers was a direct reference to the brand name. He related the team very closely with the brand itself to market it on a bigger scale. His concept was to merge the glamour of sports entertainment and lifestyle into one single package that could be related to by fans.

In the initial years of RCB much was decided keeping performance and image in mind. According to Mallya he wished to have the team represent Bangalore in all manners. He desired it to be young ambitious stylish and bold. He chose players carefully who he believed could make that dream a reality. One of his greatest achievements was spotting and signing a young Virat Kohli. While everyone else expected Kohli to be selected by Delhi because he was from the city their team picked a different player. That opened up the door for Mallya to come in and bring in Kohli into the RCB family. Kohli was then fresh from the Under-19 World Cup and Mallya saw something special about him. He listened to his gut and that proved to be one of the greatest decisions in IPL history. Eighteen years on Kohli is still the face of the franchise and one of the all-time greats.

Mallya also made sure the team had a good combination of Indian legends and international players. He signed names such as Rahul Dravid Anil Kumble Zaheer Khan and Jacques Kallis. His ambition was to be able to assemble a side that could win the IPL trophy and at the same time entertain people. He wished RCB to be remembered not only for cricket but for its culture as well. He was heard repeating that generating fan excitement and involvement was just as crucial as the success in matches. That's why he brought in after-match party cheerleaders and other happenings surrounding the matches. He was criticized for making it flashy but he clarified that it was a strategy. He desired RCB to be the heartbeat of Bangalore and in lots of means he succeeded. The city adopted the team and the fans stuck by even during years when the team failed to win titles.

Though RCB never won the trophy for 18 years they were always one of the most popular and adored teams in the league. This year in 2025 the dream was finally fulfilled. RCB won the final against Punjab Kings and won their first IPL trophy. It was a time of sheer delight for the fans and particularly for Virat Kohli who had stood by the team in thick and thin. When RCB won the championship it reminded everyone of its humble beginnings and of course Vijay Mallya's name did emerge once again. Even though he was out of the country and embroiled in legal issues the fans never forgot that it all started with his vision.

In his podcast interview Mallyy also stated in the open that his primary motivation to purchase the team was not for the sake of cricket. It was for the promotion of Royal Challenge his best selling whisky. He did not hide the fact that his motive was business-oriented. However, he did state that after the team was established he really wanted them to win the title. He also added that if he were given an opportunity today to select players from competing sides he would take stars such as Jasprit Bumrah Suryakumar Yadav Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. That reveals his talent spotting ability is still good even after all these years.