Mumbai: Aditya Birla Group, Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone have signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% franchise of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) which will include both men’s and women’s teams.Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises are being acquired from United Spirits Limited (USL), a subsidiary of Diageo plc. The transaction values the franchise at US$1.78b (approximately Rs 16,600 crore).
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including approvals from the BCCI, IPL Governing Council and other authorities.The franchise, under its new ownership structure after the 2026 edition, will see Aditya Birla Group director Ariman Vikram Birla serving as chairman while Satyan Gajwani of The Times of India Group will be the vice chairman.“Over the past 2 decades, IPL has become a global sporting powerhouse that has changed the face of Indian cricket and created immense value for India. RCB, as one of the most compelling franchises in the modern game, offers the Aditya Birla Group a unique platform to build on its institutional legacy to become a world-class player. It is an asset and is committed to further building on this extraordinary legacy,” said Kumar Mangalam BirlaChairman of the Aditya Birla Group.
File photo of Kumar Mangalam Birla of Aditya Birla Group.
Gajwani of Times Internet Limited said in a media note, “RCB is the reigning champion and the most popular brand in the IPL. As The Times of India Group, together with our partners, we will make RCB a global sports entity, with its roots in Bengaluru and Karnataka and its incredible fan base. Coaches, leadership team and fans.” We look forward to supporting the team as they take to the pitch to defend RCB’s title on Saturday.
File photo by Satyan Gajwani of The Times of India Group.
Serum Institute of India’s Adar Poonawalla, Manipal Hospitals’ Ranjan Pai, private equity firms EQT, TPG and Temasek and the Glazer family, which owns Manchester United Club, were among the other interested bidders when Diageo Plc first launched the process to sell RCB.In 2008, when the BCCI launched the IPL, United Spirits submitted a winning bid of US$111.6m (approximately Rs 485 crore) to acquire the Bangalore franchise. In 2023, the RCB management paid another Rs 901 crore to acquire the WPL team. In 2024, RCB won the WPL and followed it up with their maiden IPL title in 2025.The franchise has included some of the biggest icons of T20. Virat KohliChris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, Anil Kumble, Glenn Maxwell, Yuvraj Singh and Faf du Plessis among others.
Virat Kohli led the Royal Challengers Bangalore team before Rajat Patidar took over. (Photo credit- X/RCB)
In 2013, after Kohli took over the captaincy of the IPL, the popularity of the franchise went from being just one of eight teams to becoming one of the most popular and sought-after features in the tournament.Kohli’s rise as the captain of Team India and the most authentic brand of cricket has coincided with the rise of RCB as one of the most followed teams in the IPL. Despite lacking a title win in 17 years, the franchise has gained a massive following among fans in Karnataka, across the country and on social media.As of 2026, RCB is at the top in terms of its social media reach and general popularity in broadcast media.In 2025, Brand Finance ranked RCB as the second most valuable IPL brand after Mumbai Indians and among the three strongest IPL brands along with Mumbai and Chennai. In the same year, global investment bank Houlihan Loki also listed RCB as the premier brand of the IPL.
