'Deepika can come for the matches'

He is probably one of the most eligible bachelors in the City. No wonder every time he makes a public appearance, girls swoon around him for just one picture. And what’s really impressive is that unlike other ‘celebs’, Siddhartha Mallya readily poses for the cameras with a smile.

Being one of the youngest owners of an IPL team, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Siddhartha is bringing a whole new energy to his team — be it the camaraderie he shares with the players or bringing in new ways to market brand ‘RCB’. He knows the sport inside-out and for this season, he is confident about the team reaching the finals without any hurdles.

“The team has been practising very hard and I can see that they are one step better than last year. After having  interacted with them over the last few years, I have become close to the players and feel like this is one big family each time we come together,” says Siddhartha.

Each year, he manages to bring in something new and innovative for the team. If it was the green initiative last year, this year the ‘Prince of Good Times’ has brought an entire new range of RCB merchandise. “We have to keep the ball rolling and try out new ventures. We have always had RCB merchandise but only this time, we have introduced a range that one can wear even when there is no IPL,” he says.

Another thing that was in focus last season was his ‘closeness’ to Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone. With the rumour mills working extra time on the duo’s ‘break-up’, one wonders how Sid takes to all of this. “It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t think I have to react about the reports because even if I say anything, the media writes what it wants to write. So there is no point in talking about it, right?” he questions. It seems like Sid has made up his mind about the media and refuses to change it.

When asked if he has invited Deepika for any of the matches, he says, “Deepika can
come for any of the matches. She is a Bangalore girl and we would definitely invite her but whether she will come or not, you will have to ask her.” Looks like the ball is in Deepika’s court now.