A group led by the Aditya Birla Group has emerged as the top bidder to buy Royal Challengers Bengaluru for around USD 1.78 billion (about Rs 16,706 crore).
The consortium includes Blackstone, where Viral Patel is CEO, Bolt Ventures, which is owned by David Blitzer, and the Times of India.
“The consortium has reached an agreement with United Spirits Limited (USL) to buy a 100 per cent stake in RCB, and the deal includes both men’s and women’s teams of the franchise,” a source close to the development informed Sports Tak.
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Who will take over as chairman of RCB?
United Spirits Limited, which is a part of Diageo, had been looking to move away from RCB as the franchise was no longer central to its business plans.
As per the agreement, Aryaman Vikram Birla will take over as chairman of RCB, while Satyan Gajwani from Times of India will be the vice-chairman.
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However, the deal is still not fully complete. It needs approval from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the IPL Governing Council, the Women’s Premier League authorities, and the Competition Commission of India.
RR sold for around Rs 15,290 crore
Earlier, the Rajasthan Royals was sold to a group led by Kal Somani for USD 1.63 billion (around Rs 15,290 crore). His consortium includes members linked to Walmart and the Ford Motor Company.
Somani is a tech entrepreneur based in Arizona and has founded companies like IntraEdge, Truyo.Ai, and Academian.
Other bidders for RCB included a Times Internet-led group, the Aditya Birla Group, and the Mittal family, led by Aditya Mittal, CEO of ArcelorMittal.
RCB's IPL performance
The Bengaluru-based franchise holds one of the massive fan bases despite winning the maiden IPL title after 17 seasons of the tournament. RCB won the last edition of the tournament, defeating Punjab Kings in the final at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Defending champions RCB will start their IPL 2026 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.