The IPL champions have new owners. The RCB sale, announced in March and cleared by the Competition Commission of India on 30 June, hands Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group for ₹16,660 crore, roughly $1.78 billion, all in cash.

In 2008, the franchise was bought for about $112 million. Eighteen years and two straight titles later, it has sold for around sixteen times that. The question is not whether that is a lot of money. It is what, exactly, the buyers are paying for.

The Deal

For United Spirits, it is a clean exit. "This transaction marks an important milestone as we sharpen our focus on our core beverage alcohol business," said MD and CEO Praveen Someshwar (Storyboard18).

There is a quiet logic in that. Liquor brands cannot advertise directly around cricket in India, a point we explored in our piece on surrogate advertising in IPL. Owning one of the league's best-supported teams was never going to be an easy marketing fit for a drinks company.

Why RCB is worth this much

A cricket team does not make ₹16,660 crore from ticket sales. The value comes from the system around it.

  1. A guaranteed share of the IPL's media money. Every franchise gets a cut of the league's central broadcast and sponsorship deals. That makes IPL teams unusually stable businesses: the biggest revenue line arrives whether the team wins or loses.

  2. A permanent seat at the table. There are only ten IPL franchises. No promotion, no relegation, no new entrant can take your place. Scarcity is a large part of the price.

  3. One of the strongest fan bases in sport. RCB's fans stayed loyal through years without a title. Now the team has won the IPL in 2025 and 2026, plus the WPL. Loyalty plus success is the most valuable combination in sport.

  4. Two teams for one price. The deal includes the WPL side. Women's cricket is still early in its commercial growth, so the buyers get a second asset with room to rise.

  5. A global brand. Virat Kohli has spent his whole IPL career at RCB. That gives the franchise a reach well beyond Bengaluru, and beyond India.