“I would have gone for KL Rahul” - Vijay Mallya reveals why he wanted KL Rahul in RCB squad

The former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) owner Vijay Mallya revealed that he would have bid for KL Rahul, the Karnataka batter, if he was sitting in the mega auction table and made decisions for the franchise. 

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Revealing the reason behind his choice, Mallya stated that it’s not just because Rahul is a fine batter, but also because he is a Bengaluru boy, who could’ve brought the local flavor to the franchise. 

“In my honest opinion, if I was sitting there at the auction table and making decisions, I probably would have gone for KL Rahul. And that is not just because he is a very fine player, but you know, he is a Bangalore boy,” Mallya was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

Furthermore, Mallya also revealed he was the one who had gone behind Virat Kohli, who was then part of the India U19 draft. Notably, Virat was fresh from the India U19 World Cup victory at that point of time.

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“I was the one who picked Virat Kohli. I was sitting there for the pick, and the minute it was my turn, I immediately chose Virat. Obviously, his performance with the India Under-19 team was an influencing factor. So, he was a natural choice to be the RCB captain,” Mallya added. 

Before concluding, Mallya also talked about the unfortunate stampede incident that happened outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the RCB IPL 2025 title celebrations in Bengaluru.

“It is very sad that those who came out to celebrate ultimately did not go home. It is heartbreaking that people who came for such a joyous occasion met with tragedy. I have extended my heartfelt condolences to all the affected families,” said Mallya.

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