Royal Challengers Bengaluru acquired by a new group in a whopping ₹16,706 crore deal

A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) on Tuesday acquired 100 percent equity stake in the IPL franchise RCB; however the name of the team remains unchanged.

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise was acquired by a new group in a whopping ₹16,706 crore deal. On Tuesday, a consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) acquired a 100 percent equity stake in RCB from its current owner, United Spirits Limited (USL). Other parties involved in the group are Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE (a firm of which Viral Patel is the CEO), Bolt Ventures, owned by American investor David Blitzer, and media conglomerate Times of India.

RCB’s name not to be changed as per a post by Ananya Birla.

RCB is one of the eight original IPL franchises that have been part of the league since its inception in 2008. In 2025, they won the title for the first time. After the major acquisition, Ananya Birla, a prominent face of the Aditya Birla Group, reposted an Instagram post in her Stories saying that the team’s name will not be changed. The mega RCB sale has made the team the costliest IPL side ever, said USL in a statement. The transaction includes RCB’s men’s and women’s (WPL) teams.

More on the United Spirits Limited’s statement on the massive RCB sale.

It read, “United Spirits Limited, pursuant to the meeting of its Board of Directors, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements for the sale of the 100 percent equity stake held in its wholly owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) to a consortium.” The statement added, “The consortium comprises Aditya Birla Group (ABG), The Times of India Group (Times), Bolt Ventures (Bolt), and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE (Blackstone), for a total consideration of INR 166.6 bn in an all-cash transaction.” The USL further wrote, “RCSPL owns and operates the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchises that participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL). Upon completion of this transaction, the consortium will, through its ownership of RCSPL, acquire the rights to own and operate the IPL and WPL franchise.”

The statement concluded the strategic review of RCSPL, initiated by USL on November 5, 2025.