Know detailed story of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and its big IPL investment buzz
Know the detailed story of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the champions of the IPL 2025, and how they would get the big investors of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 if their parent company decides to sell them.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have earned their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy in 2025 by beating the Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. If the parent company, Diageo, decides to sell, up to six parties have shown their interest, even though the parent company could still change its mind at the last minute.
Diageo’s shareholders are not excited about continuing to own an IPL team, which isn’t a core business for the liquor company. The six companies, Adar Poonawala, Parth Jindal’s JSW group, Adani Group, A Delhi-based billionaire with multi-sector interests, and two US-based private equity firms, have shown their wish to buy the franchise.
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In 2010, Cyrus Poonawala tried to buy the IPL team when Lalit Modi expanded the league. He lost to Pune’s Sahara and Kochi’s Rendezvous. There is a surprising factor in the Jindal angle, who has already owned 50% of the Delhi Capitals. If they want to go for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, then they will have to sell that stake first.
Know six parties that have interest in bying RCB if parent company sells them ahead of IPL 2026
The Adanis have been eyeing an IPL side for years before they nearly got Ahmedabad’s Gujarat Titans in 2022. Diageo wants USD 2 billion for the Bengaluru side, as it depends on the next media rights cycle. The future of the league’s broadcast will hinge on JioStar. If they charge nearly INR 100 per month and have nearly 500M subscribers, the league could generate nearly INR 20000 crore in one season just from the subscriptions.
Over the five years, that’s more than $10B in subscription revenue, along with the $2.5 billion in advertisements. The last cycle’s media rights were worth $6.3 billion, and the bump in the 2027 cycle won’t be unrealistic. That’s what’s keeping the buyers interested, despite the heavy tag. On the other hand, Citi and another private bank have been roped in by Diageo to advise on the sale.
Diageo’s India arm hasn’t been on board yet, and the issue of the post-stampede case during the trophy celebration outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has added another layer of uncertainty. RCB will look to defend their title next year under Patidar’s captaincy as Virat Kohli’s time is coming to an end slowly, also in the franchise tournament.
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