RCB Didn't Have Me In Icon List But Vijay Mallya Said 'He Is My Bangalore Boy': Former India Captain Recalls Hilarious IPL Auction Tale

rcb didn’t have me in icon list but vijay mallya said he is my bangalore boy anil kumble ipl auction tale

RCB’s IPL auction strategy has long been a debatable one, and to add to it, former Indian cricketing legend Anil Kumble recently recalled a humorous anecdote from the early days of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.

Kumble’s tale shed light on how he found himself in an unexpected situation during the IPL auction when he was not included in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) initial list of ‘icon’ players.

This was even after his illustrious career and status as one of the greatest spin bowlers of all time. However, a timely intervention of then-owner Vijay Mallya ensured that he didn’t go to any other franchise.

“When the IPL kicked off, there were a lot of high-profile names involved. They certainly knew the marketing of the game,” said Kumble.

“When RCB picked me I was not a part of the icon list. For some reason I was not a part of that,” he added.

“Sorry to cut you in, you have an Anil Kumble circle in Bengaluru but you were not an icon for RCB,” said Ashwin, who was playing the host on his YouTube channel.

“I was captain of the Indian Test team. My name was in the auction. And someone told me how as soon as my name came up, Vijay Mallya stood up and said – ” He is my Bangalore boy, nobody is touching him. That was the end of any other bid came him. I was bought at the base price. There were no auction dynamics like you see today,” Kumble concluded.

Kumble also spoke about he was handed the captaincy of the franchisee when Kevin Pietersen left for national duty in 2009. Later in an interview with PTI, Mallya had said it was his decision to hand over the captaincy reins to Kumble .

“Obviously, it is my decision. As a team owner I decide. But it was no last-minute decision,” Mallya had said.