'You roared loud like the Lions' - Former owner Vijay Mallya congratulates RCB after reaching IPL 2026 final

Published - 27 May 2026, 16:46 IST | Updated - 27 May 2026, 16:52 IST

Former team owner Vijay Mallya took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for reaching the final of the 2026 Indian Premier League, after beating the Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, May 26.

The defending champions produced a batting masterclass by scoring 254 runs in the first innings, with skipper Rajat Patidar leading from the front. The right-handed batter went on to score 93 from just 33 deliveries, striking at 281.82. Following their exploits with the bat, the RCB bowling unit took care of the proceedings, bundling GT for a mere 162, with Jacob Duffy taking three wickets.

Mallya was overjoyed by his former side reaching a second consecutive IPL final. He once again called RCB ‘Namma Dodda Simhagulu’, which roughly translates to ‘Our Big Lions’.

Many Many congratulations to RCB namma dodda Simhagulu for an emphatic victory in Dharamshala tonight. You roared loud like the Lions of Bengaluru and roared into the IPL final as defending champions,” Vijay Mallya posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Many Many congratulations to RCB namma dodda Simhagulu for an emphatic victory in Dharamshala tonight. You roared loud like the Lions of Bengaluru and roared into the IPL final as defending champions.

It is worth mentioning that, despite not being associated with the franchise for some years now, Mallya continues to support RCB from a distance and always takes to social media to congratulate them on their success. Royal Challengers fans, also show appreciation towards the former owner’s loyalty.

When RCB won their first title last season, Mallya’s congratulatory post on X received more than 148,000 likes and six million impressions.

The Royal Challengers are looking to become only the third side in IPL history to retain their title from last year. The Chennai Super Kings were the first team to do so, winning two titles in 2010 and 2011, with the Mumbai Indians joining them in the accomplishment by winning the trophies in 2019 and 2020.

Vijay Mallya prides himself as RCB qualifies for playoffs

RCB now have a four-day gap before they take the field in Ahmedabad for the showpiece final on Sunday, May 31.