Vijay Mallya’s sensational disclosure, told- Why did Virat Kohli sign before the IPL 2008 auction?
Vijay Mallya Reveals Why He Pickled Virat Kohli in 2008 for RCB: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) finally won their first title in the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). With this, RCB’s most honest player Virat Kohli’s 17 -year wait also ended and he was successful in winning his first IPL Trophy.
In 2008, Virat Kohli, who was elected at a base price of Rs 12 lakh in 2008, stayed with the team despite a consecutive defeat every year and he got the 18th year of the 18th year of not leaving the team for 17 years. Now in a recent conversation at Raj Shamani’s podcast, the first owner of RCB Vijay Mallya told how he had chosen Virat Kohli in the RCB team before the first IPL season in 2008.
Mallya said, “Shortly before the actual selection process, he was playing the Under-19 World Cup and I was very impressed with him. So, I chose him, and it’s surprising that 18 years later, he is still in the team. When I bought him, he was a small child, but you know, full of energy, a brilliant talent and you know, one of the greatest Indian cricketers till now.”
Unlike senior players who attended the 2008 IPL auction, India’s Under-19 World Cup players were selected separately in pre-selections. Kohli, despite being from Delhi, was not selected by Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), who chose Pradeep Sangwan instead. The decision allowed RCB to bring Kohli into his setup, which was still with this team.
During the podcast, Mallya also highlighted the early strategy behind gathering the RCB team, which aims to merge Indian veterans with promising youth and global talents. He said, “I chose the players who could make RCB a powerhouse. My biggest pride was to recognize Virat Kohli, a young player of the Under-19 World Cup team. My internal instinct told me that he is special and I bid for him. Rahul Dravid was not a big deal as our icon player, he was a pride of Bangalore. The stars were also included in the team. I wanted a mixture of local players and international talent.
