Former RCB owner Vijay Mallya celebrates team's maiden IPL title after 18 years, recalls picking Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villers : 'It was my dream...'

Finally, after 18 years, it is party time for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as a brilliant spell from Krunal Pandya and solid pace bowling from trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal brought them their first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) title with a six-run win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday. RCB fans are over the moon all across the India even Vijay Mallya, the first owner of the Bengaluru franchise, could not hold himself from expressing his emotions.

The former RCB owner Vijay Mallya took to X to congratulate the team after they finally lifted their maiden IPL trophy, defeating Punjab Kings by 6 runs in a thrilling IPL 2025 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium. He shared a heartfelt message for the team and also recalled picking Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villers for the franchise.

“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. I also had the honour of picking Chris Gayle the Universe Boss and Mr. 360 AB de Villers who remain an indelible part of RCB history. Finally, the IPL trophy arrives in Bengaluru,” he said.

He also thanked the team for making his dream come true and said, “Congratulations and thanks again to all who made my dream come true. RCB fans are the very best and they deserve the IPL trophy. Ee Sala Cup Bengaluru baruthe !”

June 3, 2025

In an another tweet, Mallya praised the coaches and the supporting staff as he called the tea "balanced." His tweet read, "RCB are IPL Champions finally after 18 years. Superb campaign right through the 2025 tournament. A well balanced team Playing Bold with outstanding coaching and support staff. Many congratulations ! Ee sala cup namde !!"

 June 3, 2025

In 2008, Vijay Mallya acquired the franchise, but after defaulting on loans and subsequently leaving India, the IPL franchise communicated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2016. The franchise informed the BCCI about Mallya's resignation from his position as director of Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL).

Following this development, several prominent figures, including Anand Mahindra, Harsh Goenka, and Nikhil Kamath, expressed their congratulations to RCB on their social media platforms.

Meanwhile, coming back to the match, RCB posted a total of 190/9 in 20 overs after being put into bat. The innings was anchored by star batter Virat Kohli, who scored a composed 43 off 35 balls, including 3 boundaries.