According to a report in Cricbuzz, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise is officially up for sale. The team’s owner, Diageo, has started the sale process and expects to complete it by March 31, 2026. The UK-based company made the announcement through a disclosure to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on November 5. The notice called it a “Strategic Review of the Investment in Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd. (RCSPL)”, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Spirits Ltd.
According to the filing, RCSPL owns the RCB franchise teams that compete in both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The company stated that the review is being carried out under Regulation 30 of the SEBI Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements.
USL’s Managing Director and CEO, Praveen Someswar, said, “RCSPL has been a valuable and strategic asset for USL. However, it is non-core to our alco-bev business. This step shows our commitment to long-term value creation for stakeholders, while ensuring RCSPL’s best interests.”
Which Companies Are In The Race to Buy RCB?
The announcement suggests that Diageo and USL may be planning to sell all or part of their stake in RCB since sports is not their main line of business. The mention of a fixed completion date, March 31, 2026, also indicates that a deal may already be in progress. Industry insiders believe Diageo could be in advanced talks with potential buyers.
As reported earlier by Cricbuzz, several big names are interested in buying the franchise. The list includes a US-based private investment firm, the Adani Group, the JSW Group (Jindals), Adar Poonawalla of the Serum Institute of India, and Ravi Jaipuria of the Devyani International Group.
Rumours of RCB being up for sale began circulating after the June 4 stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which killed 11 fans. The company has since faced shareholder pressure to exit non-core businesses and has hired a merchant bank to oversee the sale.
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