Preparations are going on for the auction for the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League, meanwhile a new news has come related to the sale of Royal Challengers Bangalore. There was news of this for the last few days, but now the report has revealed that the sale process of RCB has started. This process will be finished before the next season. According to the report, the current owner of the franchise, Diageo itself has announced this. RCB, which has been a part of the league since 2008, had won its first IPL title in the last edition (2025), this was also the first title of Virat Kohli who has been playing for this team since the first season.

RCB men’s team plays in IPL and women’s team plays in WPL. There was speculation about the sale of RCB for a long time, but now the franchise owner Diageo itself has confirmed it. According to the report of Cricbuzz, the information about the sale of the team has been given by Diageo itself.

In a message to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Wednesday (November 5), the British company described it as a ‘strategic review’ of its investment in Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (RCSPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Diageo’s Indian subsidiary United Spirits Ltd, according to the report.

The company said in its disclosure, “USL is initiating a strategic review of its investment in its wholly owned subsidiary RCSPL. RCSPL’s business includes the ownership of the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise team, which participates in the Men’s Indian Premier League and Women’s Premier League cricket tournaments organized annually by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.”

Diageo is close to a sale deal

In their covering letter to the stock exchange, Diageo and USL revealed “it is expected that this process will be completed by March 31, 2026.” Cricbuzz report said that people familiar with such matters say that there is every possibility that USL/Diageo are close to a deal and that is why the date has been announced.

Vijay Mallya bought RCB team in 2008

The Indian Premier League was started in 2008, when BCCI had initially bid for 8 teams to play. The bid for RCB team was won by Vijay Mallya, he bought this franchise for about Rs 600 crores. Vijay Mallya was then the owner of United Spirits. In 2014, the entire ownership rights in USL came to Diageo with more than 54 percent stake.

RCB For Sale Before IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bangalore may get a new owner before the start of IPL 2026. In the beginning of October, news came out that Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawala wants to buy RCB. According to the report of Cricbuzz, the number of buyers of RCB is increasing. There are six deals pending to buy this franchise. The biggest name in the list of these buyers is Parth Jindal, owner of Jindal South West (JSW) Group and ‘Adani Group’.

RCB will be sold before IPL 2026

The command of Royal Challengers Bangalore is currently with the British company Diageo PLC, but now they are ready to separate from this franchise. JSW Group and Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal is ready to buy RCB. The Jindal Group currently owns the Delhi Capitals franchise along with Grandi Mallikarjuna Rao (GMR) Group. But now if Jindal Group becomes the owner of RCB, then only GMR Group will remain the owner of DC or a new owner will have to be found for the Delhi team.

Entry of Adani Group

Not only Jindal Group but also Adani Group is included in the list of buyers of Royal Challengers Bangalore. Adani Group had shown interest in buying Gujarat Titans in 2021. Adani Group is the owner of Gujarat Titans in WPL (Women’s Premier League). Now after buying RCB, Adani Group wants to establish its foothold in IPL also.

For how much will RCB be sold?

Royal Challengers Bangalore is named among the most favorite teams of IPL. The fan following of this franchise is very high. Even on social media, RCB is much ahead of other teams in terms of followers. But the biggest issue before selling RCB is its evaluation. The British company is estimating its price to be around Rs 17,859 crore. Poonawala does not seem to agree with this figure.

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