Vijay Mallya gatecrashes charity ball organized by Virat Kohli, avoided by Team India

Vijay Mallya seems to be insistent on building a rapport of sorts with the Indian Cricket Team, as he gatecrashed a charity ball organised by Virat Kohli. Mallya was also spotted at Edgbaston, watching the India-Pakistan encounter in the ongoing the Champions Trophy from the stands.

Although the business tycoon landed up at the event organised by Virat Kohli’s Foundation, the national cricket team, including the skipper, maintained a safe distance from him. As per reports, Mallya’s presence forced the Indian team to exit the event earlier than scheduled in order to avoid any possible controversies.

Who is Vijay Mallya?

The Indian government is currently trying everything it can to extradite Mallya, who has taken refuge in England. He has unpaid debts that exceed Rs. 9000 crore to banks in India. Mallya was the well-known owner of IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore. The team is incidentally captained by current Indian skipper Virat Kohli himself.

Team India ‘uncomfortable’ due to Vijay Mallya

A BCCI source present at the event shared that Kohli and the Indian team were “uncomfortable” due to Mallya’s presence.

“Look, Virat or his foundation never invited Mallya at the function. But normally what happens at the charity dinner is that someone who has bought a table is entitled to invite his guests. Similarly, someone who bought a table must have invited him,” a top BCCI source who was present at the event, was quoted as saying to PTI.

“The Indian team wasn’t comfortable and they maintained a dignified distance from Mallya. Mallya’s presence is one of the reasons that the team left early. The players were very uncomfortable. It was an unavoidable situation as one couldn’t have possibly asked him to leave,” the source added.

Virat Kohli had organised the event to raise funds for Justice and Care, an organisation which aims at providing help for those victimised by human trafficking. Former India cricketer and legend of the game Sachin Tendulkar was also present during the event, which was hosted by renowned cricket presenter Alan Wilkins.