New Delhi, March 26 -- Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya has congratulated the new owners of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. His social media post comes after the franchise's blockbuster sale. He used the occasion to remind the world that he was the man who had started it all.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Vijay Mallya said he had bought the RCB franchise in 2008 for Rs.450 crore. His decision was widely mocked at the time.

"When I bought the franchise in 2008 for INR 450 crores, most people laughed at me and criticised my investment as a vanity project," he wrote.

Mallya revealed that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru name was not accidental. It was a deliberate branding exercise built around his flagship Royal Challenge whisky brand.

"...