Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s gamers have fun with the trophy after profitable the Ladies’s Premier League (WPL) Twenty20 ultimate cricket match towards Delhi Capitals on the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on February 5, 2026. (Picture 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 buyers and holds stakes in franchises throughout main leagues, together with the English Premier League, NBA, NFL, Nationwide Hockey League and Main League Baseball.
The transaction underscores rising investor curiosity within the IPL, usually 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 stated the model alone was value $3.9 billion.
The IPL is a quick‑paced, franchise‑based mostly cricket league launched in 2008 that blends high worldwide and Indian expertise. Performed every year over almost two months, it options 10 largely metropolis‑based mostly groups, providing a mixture of excessive‑depth cricket, movie star possession, leisure, and large TV and streaming audiences.
Diageo-owned United Spirits stated that the all‑money sale of RCB was a part of its technique to divest non‑core belongings and concentrate on its alcohol enterprise, the corporate stated in an change submitting. Based on the Houlihan Lokey report, RCB is the highest model within the league, value $269 million.
“RCB has grown into essentially the most distinguished and commercially profitable franchise within the IPL and WPL [Women’s Premier League],” stated Praveen Someshwar, managing director and chief government of USL, including that the franchise was a “globally acknowledged model” with a “passionate fan base.”
The consortium of patrons additionally consists of the Aditya Birla Group and media firm The Instances of India Group, alongside Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures and Blackstone’s perpetual personal fairness technique, BXPE.
“RCB’s championship‑profitable tradition, its deep connection to Bengaluru, and one of the vital passionate fan bases in world sport make this a unprecedented alternative,” the consortium stated.
Whereas RCB enjoys an unlimited fan following, it lifted its maiden title solely in 2025. The crew 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 stated in an announcement.
