New Delhi, June 6 -- Vijay Mallya, the first owner of the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise, has revealed how he picked Virat Kohli for the inaugural season of the IPL. Kohli has been a key member of the RCB team for 18 years, and his perseverance paid off this year when the franchise finally won the IPL trophy for the first time.

In a podcast with YouTuber Raj Shamani, Mallya revealed that he had bid for three IPL franchises and lost Mumbai Indians to the Ambanis by the narrowest of margins. Mallya eventually bought RCB for $112 million, equivalent to around Rs.600-700 crore in 2008.

"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...