Former Royal Challengers Bangalore owner Vijay Mallya and former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi met Chris Gayle. Gayle represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab) in the IPL. The West Indies’ entertainer, after conquering the Bengaluru crowd, moved to the Punjab-based franchise in 2018. Although Gayle’s IPL journey began with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural season of the IPL, it was with RCB (2011-2017) that Gayle shone the most in the Indian franchise cricket.
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Iconic Picture 📷
— Cric Uneeb (@Cric_Uneeb) July 1, 2025
Chris Gayle with Lalit Modi & Vijay Mallya. pic.twitter.com/oNLhEL1mT0
Vijay Mallya on Virat Kohli and RCB
In a recent conversation with Raj Shamani on his YouTube podcast, Mallya revealed that he bid for two other teams apart from RCB, on figuring it out with Raj Shamani. His other choices included the Mumbai-based franchise, which was ultimately acquired by Mukesh Ambani. After losing by a narrow margin, Mallya ultimately acquired the Bengaluru-based franchise for 112 million USD, which, when converted, cost over 485 crores back in 2008. (Exchange rate of USD was 43.51 INR in 2008)
Mallya also revealed that Virat Kohli in the 2008 auction was also eyed by his home state franchise, Delhi Capitals, but when Delhi acquired Pradeep Sangwan, it gave him an opportunity to make the final bid for the young prodigy.
Lalit Modi’s IPL Contribution
In 2008, Lalit Modi was instrumental in launching the Indian Premier League (IPL). He also engineered the IPL’s move to South Africa in 2009, after the dates of the tournament clashed with the Indian general election and the Union Minister of Home Affairs, P. Chidambaram, could not commit to the security of the tournament.
What’s Next?
Although the meeting seems to be particularly a casual reunion but some cricket pundits are speculating that the ‘Reunion’ might turn into something big, and the cricket fans, especially in India, are waiting for something new in the IPL. Gayle has played for 3 franchises in his IPL stint, which ultimately concluded in 2021, bidding his farewell from the Punjab Kings.
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