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In a nostalgic appeal on X, fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya remembered his daring move of 2008 when he bought the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise at the price of about 450 crore. At the time he bought the franchise, everyone made fun of him, making fun of a vanity business, as he said.

Mallya, who initially bought the team under the name United Spirits to market his Royal Challenge whisky brand, added that he was extremely happy when RCB was bought by a consortium headed by Aditya Birla Group, as well as the Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone, at a record price of 16,800 crore (approximately 1.78 billion) by the time of its acquisition.

It is estimated to the tune of simply 1,495 percent in 18 years, and the deal values the franchise, currently champions of the IPL, at almost 37 times the original price. Mallya also noted the signing up of a young Virat Kohli as one of the milestones in creating the RCB brand. The sale highlights the soaring business purpose of IPL crews in the universe of worldwide cricket.