RCB owners eyeing big money with 6 Investors in the mix-up since the investment buzz
The Royal Challengers Bangalore is currently owned by Diageo, the British Company, through their Indian subsidiary, United Spirits Ltd. As per the latest reports, the Diageo shareholders are not willing to continue with an IPL franchise after a massive USD 2 billion was quoted by them for the stakes of RCB.
RCB owners Diageo have shown interest from several buyers, as several investors have piled on alongside two banks and one global company. The RCB side won their maiden IPL title in the 2025 season and then went on to surpass the CSK side to emerge as one of the most commercially successful franchises.
Diageo stakeholders are willing to sell RCB for USD 2 billion
The Royal Challengers Bangalore is currently owned by Diageo after they took over the company from Vijay Mallya in 2016 amid his financial struggles. However, as per the latest reports from Cricbuzz, the Diageo shareholders are not willing to hold on to an IPL team, since that does not comply with the core business for a liquor company.
They have mentioned that they are willing to sell the franchise for a whopping USD 2 billion, which has been claimed to be too steep by several parties who have shown interest in the acquisition of the defending champions. However, the claim can only be decided upon based on the media rights cycle.
The IPL broadcast rights held by JioStar could go as high as $2.3 billion in one season if they can place an INR 100/month charge on 500M subscribers. Over the five seasons, it would be nearly $10 billion from subscriptions alone, to add alongside $2.5 billion from ads.
Parth Jindal ready to ditch DC for RCB ahead of IPL 2026
As per the latest reports from Cricbuzz, a total of six different business groups have shown interest in the RCB deal. The business groups are, namely, Adar Poonawala from the Serum Institute, Parth Jindal (JSW Group), the Adani Group, a Delhi-based billionaire with multi-sector interests, and two US-based private equity firms.
Citibank and another private bank have been included to supervise the deal; however, it has also been disclosed that the parent company might change their thoughts later on. Among the owners, Parth Jindal already owns a team, the Delhi Capitals, in the IPL.
He will have to part ways with his formerly owned team in order to buy stakes at RCB, and Gautam Adani, on the other hand, has also been in contention for an IPL franchise since 2022. Adar Poonawala is also back in the IPL ownership circuit, looking for a bid after a 15-year-long wait, since 2010, when he missed out on a team during the league's expansion by Lalit Modi.
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