The RCB franchise has attracted the interest of several buyers as the current owners have reportedly shown interest in selling their stake. Six major parties are also in the mix, including two banks and a global company.
Royal Challengers Bangalore is surrounded by discussions regarding the sale of their shares by the current owners of the franchise. As a result, many believed that Virat Kohli also refused to renew his brand contract before the next IPL.
Royal Challengers Bangalore won their first title in the 2025 season and also overtook Chennai Super Kings in the global popularity index, while emerging as one of the top three most commercially successful franchises in the global T20 league.
Diageo shareholders not interested in owning any IPL team in the future
RCB is currently owned by United Kingdom-based British liquor company Diageo through its Indian subsidiary United Spirits Limited. The team was originally owned by Vijay Mallya in 2008, but Diageo took control in 2016 after acquiring the company.
According to the latest report from Cricbuzz, “Diageo’s shareholders are not thrilled about continuing to own an IPL team – it’s not exactly the core business for the liquor company.” The British company also mentioned the valuation they quoted for the IPL franchise. They have made a whopping USD 2 billion bid for RCB.
For many people, this seems difficult; However, the media rights cycle will end at its fate. The future of IPL broadcast price will depend on JioStar. If they charge a minimum of Rs 100/month and have 500 million subscribers, IPL can generate a minimum of Rs 20,000 crore, i.e. $2.3B in just one season. Over 5 seasons, that will be about $10 billion from subscriptions alone and $2.5 billion more from advertising.
Top 6 business houses in the mix for RCB
After the sale of RCB was discussed, several business houses had shown interest in acquiring the much talked about IPL franchise. According to reports, six parties have shown interest and are considering options to make a deal.
However, care has also been taken that the parent company may change its decision at the last moment. Currently, there are six business groups in dispute: Adar Poonawala from Serum Institute, Parth Jindal (JSW Group), Adani Group, a Delhi-based billionaire with multi-sector interests and two US-based private equity firms.
Meanwhile, Diageo has roped in Citibank as well as another private bank to advise on the sale, but Diageo’s Indian house is not fully on board yet, and the failure of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium has added another layer of uncertainty to the future of the deal.
Parth Jindal keen on move from Delhi Capitals to RCB
JSW Group co-owner Parth Jindal already co-owns a team in the Indian Premier League. He owns 50% of the Delhi Capitals franchise, and to show any interest in RCB, he will have to sell his stake in the Capitals first.
They will have to face the Adani Group, which has been in contention for an IPL team for a long time and has almost got its hands on Gujarat Titans in 2022. On the other hand, Adar Poonawala is back in the bid for an IPL team after missing out on a team in 2010 when Lalit Modi expanded the league with the introduction of two new teams.
They lost to Sahara (Pune Warriors India) and Rendezvous (Kochi Tuskers); However, both teams soon disappeared from the IPL after a few seasons.
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