United Breweries Group Chairman Vijay Mallya wished the team good luck ahead of the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament. The former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) owner took to social media to send a spirited message to the team that will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28 in the first phase of 19.
The 70-year-old wrote on X: “The day has come for our Lions of Bengaluru…namma sinhagulu…IPL Champions. Good luck and play bravely…Dhairyadinda ațavadi,” adding to the pre-match buzz.
Amrit Thomas became the chairman of the team after the financial scandals involving the “King of Good Times” (Vijay Mallya). A few days ago, Aditya Birla Group, The Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone acquired RCB for a record $1.78 billion – the highest franchise valuation in IPL history.
The new owners “have signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), comprising both the Men’s Indian Premier League franchise and the Women’s Premier League franchise, from United Spirits Limited (USL), a subsidiary of Diageo plc. The transaction values the franchise at INR 166.6 billion (approx. USD 7 billion). It said on March 25.
The defending champions, led by Rajat Patidar and coached by Andy Flower, set the tone for today’s exciting showdown.
Reaction on social networks
One user wrote: “It’s a massive night here in Bengaluru with the IPL 2026 season opener at Chinnaswamy. The atmosphere will be electrifying especially as the home team begins their title defence.”
Another user commented, “RCB fans ready for another emotional ride.
A third comment read: “Buying RCB in 2008 was a great idea. It was your idea. Selling in 2026 at an extraordinary price must have been bittersweet – but your vision and sportsmanship is truly admirable.”
A fourth user stated, “Lions of Bengaluru will roar from the start this time. Let the magic unfold.” A fifth user stated, “But no one in the team understands Kannada.”
Last year, RCB had a commanding victory over Punjab Kings and ended an 18-year wait for their first pick of the IPL trophy.
On 26 March, Vijay Mallya addressed a message to the new owners of RCB, congratulating them on the deal. He recalled the time when RCB was founded and said, “When I bought the franchise for INR 450 crore in 2008, most people laughed at me and criticized my investment as vanity. Behind my much-vaunted madness was building the Royal Challenge brand and that’s why I named the franchise RCB. Immensely gratifying to see my investment of INR 450 crore grow to INR 16,500 crore.”
Hinting that his investment in RCB was one of the best decisions, he added: “”RCB will always remain a part of my DNA with indelible memories, including selecting a young Virat Kohli who is now among the best in the world. To all the RCB fans who have come on board during my stewardship and beyond, thank you and please continue to support Bengaluru lion RCB. Namaskara.”
