RCB Sold for $1.8B
A consortium led by Aditya Birla Group and The Times of India Group acquired Royal Challengers Bangalore for $1.8 billion — another sign that T20 franchise valuations are surging. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians added 10 new brand partners for 2026 and grew sponsorship revenue about 20% year‑over‑year, underscoring rising commercial value in Indian cricket. ( )
United Spirits Limited has entered a definitive all‑cash agreement to sell 100% of Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd for INR 166.6 billion (₹16,660 crore), a transaction that covers ownership of both the IPL men’s team and the WPL women’s side. (diageo.com ) The buying group combines Aditya Birla Group, The Times of India Group (Times/Times Internet), David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone’s perpetual private‑equity strategy (BXPE) as co‑investors in the deal. (diageo.com ) United Spirits retained Citigroup as lead financial adviser while AZB & Partners served as legal counsel for the sale, and the transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions and approvals from the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Competition Commission of India. (diageo.com AZB & Partners via EconomicTimesLegalWorld ) Diageo’s stock‑exchange filings show the sale concludes a strategic review of its RCB investment that was launched on November 5, 2025, and market analysts are flagging the cash inflow as a potential one‑time capital unlock for United Spirits’ core beverage business. (diageo.com FortuneIndia ) The RCB exit follows the near‑contemporaneous sale of Rajasthan Royals to a Kal Somani‑led group for about $1.63 billion, leaving multiple IPL franchises trading at multi‑billion‑dollar valuations and reshaping buyer interest in the league. (EconomicTimes ) Separately, Mumbai Indians’ 2026 commercial slate lists 30+ brand partnerships and ten new additions this season — named new partners include Malaysia Airlines, Budweiser 0.0, Avon Cycles and Oaksmith, while Colgate has rejoined and Google expanded integrations across Flex by Google Pay, Google Search AI and Gemini. (EconomicTimes ) Mumbai Indians are also amplifying experiential and D2C plays, launching The MIX fan festival with BookMyShow Live’s BrandLabs and rolling out immersive brand activations and merchandise drops aimed at extending engagement beyond matchdays. (EverythingExperiential / BookMyShow Live via EverythingExperiential )
