RCB on the Market: Diageo Announces Sale Process is Underway

Bengaluru:

In a major development, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have officially been put up for sale. Diageo, the UK-based beverage giant that owns the RCB teams in both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Women’s Premier League (WPL), has confirmed that it has begun the process of selling its stakes in the franchise.

The company disclosed that the sale process is already underway and expressed confidence in completing the transaction by March 31, 2026.

In a communication to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Wednesday, November 5, Diageo officially disclosed the move, describing it as a “Strategic Review of the Investment in Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (RCSPL)”, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Spirits Ltd (USL), its Indian arm.

In its statement, the company said, “the USL is initiating a strategic review of the investment in its wholly owned subsidiary, RCSPL. RCSPL’s business comprises ownership of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise team that participate in the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL) cricket tournaments hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) annually.”

The disclosure further added, “It is expected that the process will conclude by March 31, 2026,” confirming a definitive timeline for the sale.

United Spirits comments on the development

Praveen Someswar, Managing Director and CEO of United Spirits Ltd, described the review as a strategic business decision aimed at long-term value creation. 

“RCSPL has been a valuable and strategic asset for USL. However, it is non-core to our alcobev business. This step reinforces USL’s and Diageo’s commitment to continue reviewing its India enterprise portfolio to enable sustained delivery of long-term value to all its stakeholders, while keeping RCSPL’s best interest in mind.,” Someswar said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Notably, the announcement signals a major restructuring within Diageo’s Indian operations and could open the door for new investors in one of the IPL’s most commercially successful and globally recognised franchises. Soon after the news broke, several corporate houses showed interest, including Adar Poonawalla and Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal.

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