"I was the one who selected him" – Vijay Mallya reflect on choosing Virat Kohli for IPL 2008

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) owner Vijay Mallya has revealed that he was the man behind bringing Virat Kohli into the franchise during the first Indian Premier League (IPL) draft. Remembering the league's early days, Mallya said that he personally signed Kohli from the Under-19 players' draft in 2008, after his illustrious show in the ICC U-19 World Cup. RCB's recent win in IPL 2025, ending a wait of 17 years, has reminded the world of Kohli's long association with the side.

Mallya reminisced about his experience of being at the inaugural IPL auction and specifically opting for Kohli. "I was the one who selected Virat Kohli. I was waiting there for the pick, and the moment it was my turn, I immediately selected Virat," Mallya remembered. He added that Kohli’s consistent performances and leadership qualities made it a natural decision to eventually appoint him as the RCB captain. Over the years, Kohli became the face of the franchise and its most loyal figure.

Kohli has been an RCB stalwart since 2008, and he has amassed more than 8600 runs in his IPL career, making him the all-time leading run-scorer in the IPL. Despite several close calls and three finals, the IPL trophy had eluded him during his stint as captain. Finally, however, in 2025, the trophy was secured, bringing immense joy to fans and long-time supporters.

Kohli’s Impact in RCB’s Historic Win

Rajat Patidar was the captain of RCB in 2025, but Kohli was the full-time opening batter of the team. Kohli scored 657 runs in 15 matches as he was a huge asset for them throughout. His key innings was the valuable 43 runs that helped RCB secure a narrow win by six runs in the final against Punjab Kings (PBKS).

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With no other batter putting up significant runs in the final, Kohli's composed innings was the only standout. The title win was the perfect bank for Kohli for all of the years of loyalty that were fulfilled in a dream RCB had with his supporters.