Mallya said: “Anil Kumble, who was our captain and the specialist spinner in the side, decided to join us as chief mentor, so I was looking for a quality spinner who could also bat.”
Mallya, who was on a flying visit to Christchurch yesterday, said he was delighted to have the experienced all-rounder''s services for the 2011 IPL.
He said it was bargain to buy Vettori for 550,000 dollars at last week’s IPL auction. “I bought many of my players early, before the auction really started warming up,” he said.
“When Vettori turn came, everybody had already spent so much money on the Indian players. I kept a little back, so I had the money to grab him,” he said.