For how many years was Vijay Mallya the owner of RCB?

Indian liquor baron and former chairman of United Spirits, Vijay Mallya acquired the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise ahead of the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008.

Mallya purchased the Bangalore franchise for $111.6 million, which was the second-highest bid, only behind Reliance Industries' $111.9 million bid for the Mumbai Indians (MI). He was also the owner of Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (RCSPL), the parent company of RCB.

It is worth mentioning that United Spirits is part of the UK-based business group Diageo PLC. However, Mallya is no longer the primary owner of the RCB franchise, having stepped down as the director of RCSPL in 2016.

Vijay Mallya's exit came after it was reported that he owed ₹9000 crore to 17 Indian banks, which led to him escaping India and shifting base to London.

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"Heartiest congratulations" - Vijay Mallya's reaction to RCB winning WPL 2024

The Smriti Mandhana-led RCB side trumped Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final of the Women's Premier League (WPL 2024) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, March 17, to win their maiden championship title.

Bangalore successfully chased down a 114-run target with eight wickets in hand to clinch a comprehensive victory in the summit clash. Reacting to Bangalore's historic win, Vijay Mallya congratulated the team on their achievement.

He also expressed his desire to see the men's team lift their first-ever IPL title this year.

Mallya wrote on the microblogging platform X:

"Heartiest congratulations to the RCB Women’s Team for winning the WPL. It would be a fantastic double if the RCB Men’s Team won the IPL which is long overdue. Good Luck."

Ellyse Perry and Shreyanka Patil were the top performers for RCB in the recently concluded WPL 2024, winning the Orange Cap and Purple Cap, respectively. While Perry mustered 347 runs from nine innings, Patil bagged 13 scalps from 18 outings.

Meanwhile, RCB's men's team will open their IPL 2024 campaign with a clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday, March 22.