 "Royal Challengers Bengaluru could have a new owner if everything goes according to the plan. Image: Reuters")
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are up for sale and six investors have reportedly shown interest in buying one of the most popular cricket teams in the world. But there’s still a possibility of a late twist in the tale.
RCB are owned by Diageo Great Britain. They took ownership of RCB after Vijay Mallya sold United Spirits to Diageo in 2012. And as per a report in Cricbuzz, Diageo is not interested in running the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise despite the team winning its first league trophy in 2025 and being one of the most supported sports teams. RCB are followed by 21.3 million people on Instagram and 7.5 million on X.
Diageo’s shareholders want the company to sell RCB, which isa non-core business for the organisation and could prove to be a distraction.
Delhi Capitals co-owner JSW interested in buying RCB
Some of the investors who are interested in buying RCB are Parth Jindal’s JSW Group, Serum Institute of India’s Adar Poonawalla, Adani Group, a Delhi-based industrialist and two US private equity firms.
Parth Jindal’s JSW already owns 50% of the Delhi Capitals franchise in IPL and he would need to first sell his stakes there to make a winnable bid for RCB.
Adar Poonawalla’s father, Cyrus, had also tried to buy an IPL franchise in 2010, but Sahara and Rendezvous Sports eventually won the bids for Pune and Kochi teams, both of which have shut down since then.
Recently, Adar added fuel to the fire about his interest in buying RCB by sharing a cryptic post. “At the right valuation, @RCBTweets is a great team…(sic),” he wrote on X.
Adani Group had also tried to buy the Ahmedabad franchise in 2022 but lost out to CVC Capital Partners, which has since sold the majority stake to Torrent Group.
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More ShortsRCB sale deal to witness late twist?
The only sticking point for all the suitors is that Diageo is seeking $2 billion for selling the RCB franchise, a massive ask by all standards, but there’s a feeling that IPL is set to grow rapidly and the next media rights value could be a lot more than the current deal of $6.3 billion.
The other major stumbling block could also be a lack of clarity at Diageo. The British arm wants to sell RCB, but the Indian unit is against the decision and wants the company to keep the franchise in its ambit.