Virat Kohli with the IPL trophy. (AP photo) Bombay: Aditya Birla Group, The Tech Word News Group, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone have signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise, which will include both men’s and women’s teams.The Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises are acquired from United Spirits Limited (USL), a subsidiary of Diageo plc. The deal valued the franchise at US$1.78 billion (approximately INR 16,600 crore).
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RCB’s big changes ahead of IPL: New rules, tribute and squad updateThe acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of the BCCI, the IPL Governing Council and other authorities.Under the new ownership structure after the 2026 release, Aryaman Vikram Birla, director of the Aditya Birla Group, will serve as chairman for the franchise, while Satyan Gajwani of Tech Word News Group will serve as vice chairman.“Over the past 2 decades, the IPL has transformed into a global sporting powerhouse that has changed the face of Indian cricket and created tremendous value for India. As one of the most influential franchises in modern sports, RCB offers the Aditya Birla Group a distinct platform to extend its legacy of institution-building into the global sporting arena.” Mangalam Birla, Chairman, 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 loved brand in the IPL. As The Tech Word News Group, together with our partners, we will build RCB into a global sporting institution, while remaining rooted in Bengaluru and Karnataka and its incredible fan base. We are committed to the people who have built this championship, the winning culture and the fan team, coaches and management – to the fan culture – on the culture. when they take the field on Saturday to defend the RCB title.”
File photo by Satyan Gajwani of the Tech Word News Group.
Adar Poonawalla of the Serum Institute of India, Ranjan Pai of Manipal Hospitals, private equity firms EQT, TPG and Temasek and the Glazer family, which owns Manchester United, were among other bidders when Diageo Plc first began the process of selling RCB.In 2008, when the BCCI introduced the IPL, United Spirits submitted a winning bid of US$111.6 million (approximately Rs 485 crore) to acquire the Bangalore franchise. In 2023, the RCB management paid an additional Rs 901 crore to acquire the WPL team. In 2024, RCB won the WPL and followed it up with their first ever IPL title in 2025.The franchise features some of the biggest T20 icons including Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, Anil Kumble, Glenn Maxwell, Yuvraj Singh and Faf du Plessis.
Virat Kohli was leading the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team before the arrival of Rajat Patidar. (Photo credit – X/RCB)
In 2013, after Kohli took over as IPL captain, the popularity of the franchise catapulted from just one of eight teams to one of the most popular and sought-after properties in the tournament.Kohli’s rise as the captain of Team India and cricket’s most recognized brand has coincided with RCB’s rise as one of the most watched teams in the IPL. Despite not winning a title in the last 17 years, the franchise has gained a mass following among fans in Karnataka, across the country and on social media.As of 2026, RCB remains at the top in terms of 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 alongside Mumbai and Chennai. In the same year, global investment bank Houlihan Lokey also listed RCB as the premier IPL brand.
