RCB Sale News: Big Names Join Race to Buy IPL 2025 Champions

Royal Challengers Bangalore is now up for sale, and some of the biggest names in Indian business are ready to buy this popular cricket team. After winning their first IPL title in 2025, RCB has become even more valuable, and many rich investors want to own this team.​

The current owner, Diageo, a British drinks company, wants to sell RCB because it is not part of their main business. They own RCB through their Indian company called United Spirits Limited. Diageo wants to focus on selling drinks like whisky and vodka, not running a cricket team. So they have decided to sell the team and are now talking to different people who want to buy it.​

Who Wants to Buy RCB

At least six big companies and investors are interested in buying Royal Challengers Bangalore. The asking price is very high – around 2 billion dollars, which is about 17,859 crore rupees. This is a lot of money, but many people still want to buy the team because RCB is one of the most popular teams in IPL.​

The biggest names who want to buy RCB include Adar Poonawalla, Parth Jindal, and the Adani Group. Adar Poonawalla is the CEO of Serum Institute of India, which makes vaccines. He wrote on social media that RCB is a great team at the right price. This shows he is interested but thinks the price should be fair.​

Parth Jindal is another important person who wants to buy RCB. He comes from the JSW Group, which is a big company in India. But there is a problem here. Parth Jindal already owns half of another IPL team called Delhi Capitals along with GMR Group. Each of them owns 50 percent of Delhi Capitals. If Jindal wants to buy RCB, he will have to sell his share in Delhi Capitals first because BCCI rules do not allow one person to own two IPL teams.​

The Adani Group also wants to buy RCB. This group is owned by Gautam Adani, one of India’s richest people. Adani Group tried to buy the Gujarat Titans team in 2021 but could not get it. They offered 5,100 crore rupees but someone else paid more. Now they own the Gujarat Giants team in the Women’s Premier League, which they bought for 1,289 crore rupees in 2023. They want to join the men’s IPL too, and buying RCB would be a good way to do that.​

Apart from these three, there are also two American private equity companies and one Delhi-based businessman who are interested in buying RCB. The names of these people are not known yet, but they have been talking to Diageo about buying the team.​

Why the Price is So High

Diageo wants 2 billion dollars for RCB, and many people think this price is very high. But there are good reasons why RCB might be worth this much money. First, RCB won the IPL for the first time in 2025. This made the team much more popular and valuable. Winning the trophy after 18 years of waiting made fans very happy, and now more people love this team.​

Second, RCB has one of the biggest fan groups in cricket. Even before they won the trophy, millions of people supported RCB. Virat Kohli, who has played for RCB since 2008, is one of the most famous cricketers in the world. His presence makes RCB very popular on social media and television. When RCB plays, many people watch the matches, which means more money from advertisements and sponsorships.​

Third, experts say that RCB is the most valuable IPL team in terms of brand value. In 2025, after winning the title, RCB’s brand became even stronger. Companies want to partner with RCB because so many people follow this team. This means the team can make a lot of money from sponsors and partnerships.​

How Did Diageo Get RCB

Understanding how Diageo came to own RCB helps explain why they want to sell it now. When IPL started in 2008, a businessman named Vijay Mallya bought the Bangalore team for 111.6 million dollars. Mallya was the chairman of United Spirits Limited at that time. He was the face of RCB for many years and made the team very popular.​

But Mallya had big money problems and legal troubles. He had to step away from the team in 2016. Diageo, the British drinks company, had already bought a big stake in United Spirits in 2014. When Mallya left, Diageo took full control of RCB through United Spirits. So Diageo became the owner of the cricket team without really planning to own one.​

Now, Diageo’s bosses have said that RCB is not a main business for them. Praveen Someshwar, who runs Diageo India, said RCB is exciting but not what Diageo wants to focus on. Diageo wants to sell drinks, not run cricket teams. That is why they want to sell RCB and use the money for their drinks business.​

RCB players

Money Problems in IPL

While RCB sale is big news, there are some problems with IPL’s overall value right now. The value of IPL has gone down for two years in a row. In 2023, IPL was worth 92,500 crore rupees. But in 2024, it dropped to 82,700 crore rupees, and in 2025 it fell again to 76,100 crore rupees. This means IPL has lost about 16,400 crore rupees in value in just two years.​

There are two main reasons for this drop. First, the big media companies that show IPL on television and online have merged together. Earlier, Viacom18 and Disney Star were separate companies and they competed to buy IPL rights. This competition made them pay very high prices. But in 2024, they merged to become JioStar. Now there is only one big company, so in future there will be less competition and maybe lower prices for media rights.​

Second, the government banned online gaming and betting companies from advertising during cricket matches. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 stopped these companies from sponsoring IPL teams and advertising on television. Before this ban, gaming companies like Dream11 and My11Circle were spending 1,500 to 2,000 crore rupees every year on IPL sponsorships and advertisements. Now that money is gone, and IPL teams and broadcasters have less income.​

However, these problems might not last forever. JioStar has started charging money for watching IPL online. Earlier, people could watch IPL for free on JioCinema. But starting in 2025, fans need to pay for a subscription to watch full matches. JioStar has more than 50 crore users. If many of these users pay for subscriptions, it could bring in a lot of new money for IPL. The basic subscription costs 149 rupees per month.​​

Also, IPL might expand in the future. The current season has 74 matches. But BCCI, which runs IPL, is thinking about increasing this to 84 or even 94 matches in future years. More matches mean more games on television, more ticket sales, and more advertising money. This could help IPL grow again and become more valuable.​

What Happens Next with RCB Sale

The sale process for RCB has officially started. Diageo has hired Citi bank and other advisors to help with the sale. These advisors are talking to all the interested buyers and will help decide who gets to buy RCB. The process could take several months because buying a team for 2 billion dollars is very complicated. Lawyers and accountants need to check all the details carefully.​

For Parth Jindal, the situation is tricky. If he really wants RCB, he must sell his 50 percent share in Delhi Capitals first. This is because of BCCI rules that stop one person from owning two teams. If Jindal sells his Delhi Capitals stake, then GMR Group might buy it, or BCCI might have to find a new buyer for that team. This could take time and make the RCB sale more complicated.​

Adar Poonawalla seems to be the frontrunner right now. He has publicly shown interest, and reports say he might partner with an American investment fund to buy RCB. This partnership would give him the money he needs to pay the 2 billion dollar price. Poonawalla is already very rich from his vaccine business, and owning RCB would make him one of the most famous team owners in cricket.​

The Adani Group is also serious about buying RCB. They have been trying to get into men’s IPL for years. They already own a women’s team and teams in other cricket leagues around the world. Buying RCB would be their big entry into the main IPL, which is the biggest cricket league in the world.​

Why RCB is Special

RCB is not just any cricket team. It is special for many reasons. First, RCB represents Bangalore, which is India’s technology capital. Many young people who work in technology companies support RCB. The team’s home ground is the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, which is always full when RCB plays.​

Second, RCB has had some of the biggest cricket stars in history. Apart from Virat Kohli, players like AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, and many others have played for RCB over the years. Even though the team did not win the trophy for 18 years, fans never stopped supporting them. This loyalty is very rare and makes RCB very valuable.

Third, winning the 2025 IPL title changed everything for RCB. After so many years of coming close but not winning, they finally became champions. They beat Punjab Kings by 6 runs in an exciting final match at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Virat Kohli scored 43 runs, and bowlers like Krunal Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar helped win the match. After the final ball, Kohli fell to his knees and cried tears of joy. This emotional moment made RCB even more special to millions of fans.​

Whoever buys RCB will get a team with a strong brand, loyal fans, and a winning history. The new owner will want to keep the team successful and make it even more valuable. They will need to spend money wisely on buying good players in IPL auctions. They will also need to find good sponsors and partners to make money.

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