Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s gamers rejoice with the trophy after successful the Girls’s Premier League (WPL) Twenty20 ultimate cricket match in opposition to Delhi Capitals on the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on February 5, 2026. (Photograph by Shammi MEHRA / AFP by way of Getty Photographs) / — IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE —
Shammi Mehra | Afp | Getty Photographs
A consortium comprising Blackstone, serial American sports activities investor David Blitzer, amongst others, has acquired the Indian Premier League’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru franchise in a 166 billion rupees ($1.78 billion) deal.
Blitzer is among the many world’s most distinguished sports activities traders and holds stakes in franchises throughout main leagues, together with the English Premier League, NBA, NFL, Nationwide Hockey League, Main League Baseball, and different leagues throughout 5 continents.
The transaction underscores rising investor curiosity within the IPL, typically dubbed because the world’s richest cricket league. On Tuesday, Indian media additionally reported {that a} consortium led by U.S.-based entrepreneur Kal Somani had received the bid to accumulate one other main IPL franchise, Rajasthan Royals, for $1.63 billion.
A report by U.S. funding financial institution Houlihan Lokey final yr valued the IPL enterprise at $18.5 billion and mentioned the model alone was value $3.9 billion.
The IPL is a quick‑paced, franchise‑primarily based cricket league launched in 2008 that blends high worldwide and Indian expertise. Performed annually over practically two months, it options 10 largely metropolis‑primarily based groups, providing a mixture of excessive‑depth cricket, celeb possession, leisure, and big TV and streaming audiences.
Diageo-owned United Spirits mentioned that the all‑money sale of RCB was a part of its technique to divest non‑core property and concentrate on its alcohol enterprise, the corporate mentioned in an change submitting. In response to the Houlihan Lokey report, RCB is the highest model within the league, value $269 million.
“RCB has grown into probably the most distinguished and commercially profitable franchise within the IPL and WPL [Women’s Premier League],” mentioned Praveen Someshwar, managing director and chief govt of USL, including that the franchise was a “globally acknowledged model” with a “passionate fan base.”
The consortium of consumers additionally contains the Aditya Birla Group and media firm The Occasions of India Group, alongside Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures and Blackstone’s perpetual personal fairness technique, BXPE.
“RCB’s championship‑successful tradition, its deep connection to Bengaluru, and one of the passionate fan bases in world sport make this a unprecedented alternative,” the consortium mentioned.
Whereas RCB enjoys an unlimited fan following, it lifted its maiden title solely in 2025. The group has been a part of the IPL since its inception.
“We’re dedicated to taking RCB to new heights, on the pitch and past,” the consortium mentioned in an announcement.
