New Delhi, March 24 – A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group and the Times of India Group has acquired Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the defending champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), for approximately $1.78 billion (₹16,725 crore), a news report claimed on Tuesday.
Bolt Ventures (Bolt) and Blackstone's perpetual private equity strategy (BXPE, Blackstone) are the other members of the consortium that have jointly purchased Royal Challengers Bengaluru, one of the eight original franchises of the IPL, which was formed ahead of the inaugural edition in 2008, Cricbuzz said in a report on Tuesday.
The report claimed that the consortium of the four groups signed a definitive agreement with United Spirits Limited (USL), a subsidiary of the UK's Diageo plc, to acquire a 100 percent stake in RCB. The acquisition involves both the men's and women's teams in the IPL and WPL.
Under the new ownership structure, Aryaman Vikram Birla, Director at the Aditya Birla Group, will serve as Chairman, while Satyan Gajwani of the Times of India Group will take on the role of Vice Chairman. The consortium also includes David Blitzer, founder of Bolt Ventures, and Viral Patel, CEO of BXPE, the report claimed.
The acquisition is subject to customary clearance from regulatory bodies, including the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the governing bodies for IPL and WPL.
Diageo plc had put RCB up for sale a few months ago, with many suitors expressing interest in taking over the franchise. These included Adar Poonawalla of Serum Institute of India.
RCB is the first and only franchise to hold both the IPL and WPL titles simultaneously. RCB's men won their maiden IPL title in 2025, while the women followed suit to win their second WPL title in February 2026.
The RCB franchise was won in a bidding war by former liquor baron Vijay Mallya, with young Virat Kohli as the Icon Player. Diageo plc acquired the RCB franchise when it took over United Spirits from Mallya.