Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) owner Vijay Mallya, who played a significant role in shaping the franchise’s identity during its formative years, recently revealed his dream IPL player wishlist — a quartet of stars he believes could make any team invincible. Speaking on entrepreneur Raj Shamani’s podcast, Mallya named Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul as his ideal picks to dominate the IPL for RCB.

“If dreams could come true—Bumrah, SKY, Pant, and Rahul. With these four in the XI, I wouldn’t need anyone else to win the trophy,” said Vijay Mallya, reminiscing about his time building the RCB squad.

While Bumrah and Suryakumar remain irreplaceable cogs for the Mumbai Indians, Pant now captains the Lucknow Super Giants. KL Rahul, however, has a bit of RCB history. He represented Bengaluru in two seasons—2013 and 2016. The latter was particularly memorable as Rahul was instrumental in RCB’s run to the final, scoring 417 runs at a strike rate of 145.3 before they narrowly lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

WATCH – Virat Kohli Fan Applies Blood Tilak On Poster After RCB Won IPL 2025

Rahul’s journey since then has seen him don the jerseys of Punjab Kings and later the Super Giants before recently switching to Delhi Capitals. Despite the jersey changes, Mallya still holds high regard for Rahul’s class and composure, suggesting he’d still be a perfect fit at RCB.

Mallya also fondly recalled the franchise’s most iconic player, Virat Kohli. He spoke with pride about backing a young Kohli from the U-19 World Cup days, believing in his potential even before the rest of the world caught on.

“My biggest pride was picking Virat Kohli. My instinct told me he was special,” Vijay Mallya said. The faith he showed has certainly paid off. Kohli had a phenomenal IPL 2025, amassing 657 runs in 15 matches and playing a central role in RCB finally ending their 18-year wait for the trophy.

ALSO READ: Ricky Ponting on Replacing Rohit and Virat: “India Best Equipped for the Transition”

Kohli ended the season as the third-highest run-scorer, behind Gujarat’s Sai Sudharsan (759) and MI’s Suryakumar Yadav (717), reaffirming his legendary status in the league and his eternal bond with RCB.