Vijay Mallya names four Indian stars he would like to pick for RCB if given a choice amid IPL 2025 triumph [Watch]

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) owner Vijay Mallya named four Indian stars he would like to pick for the franchise if given a choice. As RCB won their maiden IPL title in the 2025 season, the former owner appeared on a podcast amid the triumph.

During the podcast on Raj Shamani's YouTube channel, Vijay Mallya was asked about a few Indian players he would have picked for RCB if he had the opportunity to do so today.

Mallya named Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and KL Rahul as his picks.

"If dreams could come true, Jasprit Bumrah. If dreams could come true Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. If I had these four I wouldn't need anybody else and would definitely win the trophy," he said.

You can watch the part from 1:41:43 in the 4-hour and 18-minute-long podcast on YouTube.

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Vijay Mallya bid for three franchises, including Mumbai Indians

Further in the podcast, Vijay Mallya also revealed that he had initially bid for three franchises, including Mumbai Indians (MI), during the inaugural team auction in 2008, ahead of the first season of the IPL.

However, he lost the bid for Mumbai Indians by a small margin to the Ambanis, who now own the five-time IPL champions. Mallya eventually went on to win the bid for RCB and acquired the franchise.

"I was very impressed with the pitch that Lalit Modi made to the BCCI committee about this league. He called me one day and said ok, teams are going to be auctioned. Are you going to buy it? So, I bid from three franchises, and I lost Mumbai by a very small amount of money. When I bid for the RCB franchise in 2008, I saw the IPL as a game-changer for Indian cricket. My vision was to create a team that embodied the spirit of Bangalore—vibrant, dynamic, glamorous. I paid $112 million, the second-highest bid, because I believed in the potential. I wanted RCB to be a brand that stood for excellence, not just on the field but off it too," he revealed (via NDTV Sports).

RCB beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the IPL 2025 final on Tuesday, June 3, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.