New Delhi: Days after ending the Indian Premier League (IPL) title drought, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise might be up for sale. Royal Challengers Bengaluru owners Diageo Plc are looking to sell stakes of the franchise, looking to bag up to $2 billion (approx Rs 16,834 crores) after winning IPL 2025.
The historic win helped the shares of the IPL franchise to rise exponentially – almost 3.3 per cent – but the stampede incident during the victory celebrations, which claimed 11 lives, marred the occasion, with euphoria turning into mourning following the tragic mishap.
According to a report in Bloomberg News, Diageo Plc is looking to offload its stake in RCB, which it owns through its Indian arm, United Spirits Limited.
The British distillers are looking to sell the franchise, either partially or fully. The developement comes in the wake of India’s health ministry’s push to ban tobacco and alcohol brands in the IPL and put an end to the indirect promotion of other unhealthy goods by sports personalities.
From United Spirits to Diageo Plc: Change in ownership at RCB
The RCB was initially bought by Vijay Mallya’s company, United Spirits, for $111.6 million. At that time, RCB was one of the costliest franchises in the history of cricket.
After the fall of Kingfisher Airlines, when Mallya couldn’t pay the debt to lenders, the franchise came into the hands of Diageo Plc after it bought the stake in United Spirits.
The Bengaluru-based franchise is one of the most followed sporting teams on social media across the world. Cricket icon Virat Kohli, who is one of the most popular athletes in the world, has been part of the team franchise since the league’s inception. His massive popularity on social media is one of the main reasons for the popularity of franchise.
The Challengers have one of the biggest fan bases despite the lack of silverware in the IPL.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), one of the costliest franchises in IPL, is reportedly up for sale just days after winning the IPL 2025 title. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
