Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Put Up for Sale, Process to Conclude by March 2026
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is up for sale. Franchise owner Diageo, which controls both the IPL and WPL teams, has confirmed that the sale process is underway and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2026.
The news comes just months after RCB lifted their maiden IPL trophy on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, ending an 18-year title drought.
Under Rajat Patidar’s leadership, the team’s maiden title victory sent fans into wild celebration and left stars like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle emotional after years of heartbreak.
The news of the sale was disclosed by Diageo as a “Strategic Review of the Investment in Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd. (RCSPL)”, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Spirits Ltd. (USL) — Diageo’s Indian arm on November 5.
The company stated:
“USL is initiating a strategic review of the investment in its wholly owned subsidiary, RCSPL. RCSPL’s business comprises ownership of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise teams that participate in the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL) cricket tournaments hosted by the BCCI annually.”
Diageo also informed the stock exchange that the review process is expected to conclude by March 31, 2026.
Praveen Someswar, Managing Director and CEO of USL, explained the reasoning behind the decision.
“RCSPL has been a valuable and strategic asset for USL. However, it is non-core to our alcobev business. This step reinforces USL’s and Diageo’s commitment to continue reviewing their India enterprise portfolio to enable sustained delivery of long-term value to all stakeholders, while keeping RCSPL’s best interests in mind.”
Industry insiders suggest that Diageo may be looking to sell either a partial or full stake in RCB, as sports ownership does not align with its core business operations.
Reports indicate that several high-profile entities have shown interest in purchasing RCB. These include a US-based private investment firm, the Adani Group, the JSW Group, Adar Poonawalla of the Serum Institute of India and Ravi Jaipuria of the Devyani International Group.
The news of the franchise being sold has been in the media since the June 4 stampede outside Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which tragically claimed 11 lives and injured several fans.
RCB fans have started interesting conversations on social media speculating the new name and owners of the team.
RCB is one of the most followed IPL teams across social media, largely due to Virat Kohli’s massive global fan base. So, a name change after 18 years will surely be an emotional moment for millions of fans across India and beyond.