ENG vs IND 2018: Vijay Mallya Denied Permission To Meet Virat Kohli And Team In England

Absconding liquor baron Vijay Mallya reportedly wanted to meet Virat Kohli and the Indian cricket team currently touring England. However, the Indian government did not grant him the permission.

Virat Kohli & Co. are currently playing the first Test against the hosts at Edgbaston. The series-opener is set for a thrilling finish as both the teams are well in contention. India finished day three on 110 for 5, still needing 84 runs to go one nil up. Virat Kohli is holding firm from one end, remaining not out on 43. He had Dinesh Karthik as his partner.

And amidst all this, Mallya wanted to interact with the skipper and the team. However, the Indian government duly denied him the permission.

The owner of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, Mallya fled the country in March 2016 after he was exposed as one of the 11 people named in CBI’s charge sheet regarding Kingfisher Airlines’s unpaid loans to IDBI Bank. The businessman owes Indian banks Rs 9,000 crore (with interest). He was arrested by the British police in April 2017 on India’s request but was released on bail within hours.

United Spirits, which was once run by Mallya, owns Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL. Virat Kohli is playing for the franchise since 2008.

Meanwhile, Mallya had attended the Indo-Pak game in Edgbaston during last year’s Champions Trophy. He had also attended some other games featuring India in the event.

The controversial figure had also attended Kohli’s fundraising dinner in London before the start of the tournament. However, the Indian players had reportedly left the function early to avoid any controversy.