Major update on RCB Sale ahead of IPL 2026; deal enters final stage with THIS BIG amount - Reports
(Courtesy : BCCI)
Diageo’s United Spirits aims to complete the sale before March 31.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are the defending champions of the Indian Premier League, who won the previous season by defeating Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final. The franchise scripted history by winning their maiden title last year.
The Rajat Patidar & Co. will aim to defend their title in IPL 2026. RCB will clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the tournament opener on March 28 at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
They have retained most of their core members; however, they also bought a few prominent players like Venkatesh Iyer and Jacob Duffy in the auction.
Diageo’s United Spirits is the current owner of the RCB franchise. They are looking to sell the team and have kept a deadline of March 31 to complete the deal. RCB sale. The process has been underway for the past few months; a few well-known business groups have shown their interest in buying the franchise.
Two groups shortlisted to buy RCB- Reports
At least five parties had shown interest in buying the RCB franchise. According to a report by The Indian Express, two groups have been shortlisted as the sale has entered its final stage.
The first group is a consortium of Ranjan Pai of Manipal Hospitals, US private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, and Singapore-based investment group Temasek. On the other hand, Swedish private equity firm EQT is the other party. Both parties have offered bids in the range of $ 2 billion.
Those who have opted out of the deal in the final stage are the Glazer family, the owners of Manchester United, and the Adar Poonawala Group. There will be considerable debate surrounding the value of RCB, with the current owners looking to value it at around $2 billion.
Some reports also suggest that EQT may shake hands with an Indian firm for this deal. With two parties in fray, the sale has entered the climax, where the owners will evaluate the bids before finalising it.
Once the potential bidder is finalised, the process will take about 45-90 days. Diageo will need to inform the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about the change of ownership, which is a necessary step to complete the process. Therefore, the new owners will be in place only by September or October.
Who are the current owners of RCB?
Diageo’s United Spirits is the current owner of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Which two parties have been shortlisted for RCB’s sale?
Two shortlisted bidders for RCB are: (1) Swedish equity firm EQT and (2) Consortium of Ranjan Pai of Manipal Hospitals, US private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co and Singapore-based investment group Temasek.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.