'When I bid for...': Vijay Mallya on Virat Kohli ahead of RCB vs RR eliminator today

The stage is set for the much-awaited RCB vs RR eliminator to be played in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. The match will start at 7.30 pm at Narendra Modi Stadium. Before this, Vijay Mallya, former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) owner, praised RCB star Virat Kohli for his impressive performance in the ongoing IPL 2024. Mallya said he couldn't have made a better choice when he bid for Virat Kohli in the inaugural IPL auction. Kohli was bought by RCB for USD 30,000 ahead of the 2008 IPL following his title-winning run with India's U19 World Cup.

In a tweet, Mallya wrote, "When I bid for the RCB franchise and I bid for Virat, my inner instinct told me that I could not have made better choices. My inner instinct tells me that RCB have the best chance to go for the IPL Trophy. Onward and Upward. Best of luck." Mallya currently lives in the United Kingdom and is trying to avoid extradition to India.

When I bid for the RCB franchise and I bid for Virat, my inner instinct told me that I could not have made better choices. My inner instinct tells me that RCB have the best chance to go for the IPL Trophy. Onward and Upward. Best of luck.

— Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) May 21, 2024

RCB have made a tremendous comeback after losing seven out of their first eight games to qualify for the playoffs with six straight victories. Kohli has so far fetched 708 runs from 14 innings. RCB, however, hasn't been able to lift the trophy despite reaching the final thrice in 2009, 2011 and 2016.

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Mallya is accused in a bank loan default matter of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines. He has been living in the UK since March 2016. The same year he had to forego his ownership of RCB due to the legal proceedings against him.

(With inputs from PTI)