Ravi Kant Singh

Royal Challengers Bangalore owner Vijay Mallya has a knack of being in the right place at the right time. He was in Monte Carlo with his Formula One team Force India, preparing for the Monaco Grand Prix.

But no sooner had his franchise beaten Deccan Chargers in Thursday’s final league game of the second season of the Indian Premier League, the liquor baron knew it was time to fly across the African continent to Johannesburg to be with his players as they strive to wrest the ultimate prize.

True to form, Mallya knows when he has spotted a winner.

A race horse owner and breeder, Mallya has been dabbling in sporting activities for decades. Now his passion has found its coming in motor-racing and cricket and both have given him and the UB Group an international platform that few Indians enjoy.

Quite a contrast from the 2008 IPL when Mallya was spewing fire at everything that went wrong with his ‘Dad’s Army’, as the Bangalore squad had been lovingly christened. A mid-season clean out and a change of guard did little to save the inaugural effort but a much wisened Mallya kept things under wraps for IPL – II. That is, until he broke the bank for the successful bid for former England captain Kevin Pieteresen.

It turned out to be another failed attempt to revive the Bangalore fortunes as they had just two victories in six games before Pietersen left for national duty.

Anil Kumble, as Mallya proudly claimed later, was appointed captain by him, something that was a season and a half late in coming and immediately the same bunch of players began looking like champions.

Little wonder then that Mallya wanted to be with his players at the Bullring in Johannesburg over the weekend.

And as South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher quite aptly remarked: “It’s nice that Mallya flew here from Monaco because we can deliver what he can never hope to get in Formula One – a winner’s medal.”

For a franchise that finished seventh in the eight-team league last year, being in the final is no mean feat in itself.