IPL Franchise Ownership Changes: RCB And Rajasthan Royals
  • The Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals have new owners. The Indian Premier League (IPL) teams will start their new ownership period. The franchises are Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals.
  • The franchise sale of RCB occurred when United Spirits Limited (USL) sold the team for approximately ₹16,706 crore. The team has been acquired by a consortium which includes Aditya Birla Group The Times Group Bolt Ventures Blackstone Inc.

The consortium now controls both men's and women's RCB teams

  • A separate group has acquired Rajasthan Royals for approximately ₹15,300 crore at the same time. Kal Somani leads this consortium which includes Rob Walton who has connections to Walmart and The Hamp family which has connections to Ford Motor Company.
  • Somani had already invested in the Rajasthan Royals earlier

Early Valuations and Growth in Franchise Value

  • The Indian Premier League (IPL) started in 2008 with franchise values that have increased since then to their current valuation.
  • The RCB franchise had a valuation of approximately ₹500 crore while the Rajasthan Royals franchise had a valuation of approximately ₹300 crore.
  • During that time period RCB operated as one of the most valuable teams in existence.
  • The group acquired RCB through Kumar Mangalam Birla and Satyan Gajwani who confirmed the acquisition.

Past Ownership and Key Developments

  • Vijay Mallya originally bought RCB in 2008. His financial problems and legal battles forced him to stop operating RCB. The franchise continued under USL management after that period.
  • RCB achieved a major milestone recently. The team won its first IPL title after many years in the league. However, the celebration period included a serious incident. A stampede near M. Chinnaswamy Stadium led to the death of 11 people. This incident resulted in legal and public attention.
  • Reports later suggested that the franchise was being prepared for sale. The ownership transfer is now moving forward.

Approval Process and Final Steps

Both franchise sales still require approval from:

  • Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
  • Competition Commission of India

Once approvals are complete, the new ownership groups will take full control of the teams.