There is a new twist in the race for the possible sale of reigning IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), with a consortium of Aditya Birla Group and David Blitzer, an American sports investor, entering the race, Moneycontrol reported on Sunday.
Should the Aditya Birla and David Blitzer group officially enter the fray, it will become a three-way bidding battle, with a consortium led by Manipal Hospitals’ Dr Ranjan Pai, US private equity firm KKR and Singapore investment major Temasek and the combination of Swedish private equity firm EQT and Premji Invest also entering the race.
Premiji Invest was founded by Wipro founder Azim Premji.
Birla-Blitzer consortium in race to buy RCB
“The Birla-Blitzer consortium, which had thrown its hat in the ring for RR, is now also evaluating an entry into the parallel race for RCB. Binding bids for both IPL teams, RCB and RR, were submitted nearly simultaneously earlier this week, and it’s an immensely dynamic situation,” a source was quoted as saying by Moneycontrol.
The Birla-Blitzer consortium were also in the race to acquire Rajasthan Royals (RR). However, the consortium has so far taken no official decision, and there is a chance that the plans could change in the upcoming days.
The Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) is a subsidiary of United Spirits, which is the Indian arm of British alcoholic beverage company Diageo. The report went on to explain the estimated valuation that is required for RCB's sale.
“Though the sell-side asks for a 100 per cent stake in RCSPL, which is around $2bn, a few prospective suitors are keen to value the target between $1.5 bn and $1.7 bn. Further clarity will emerge on valuations post due diligence, during the binding bid stage, “ added the report.
Earlier, the Glazers, who co-own English Premier League giants Manchester United, and Adar Poonawala were in the race to acquire RCB. However, both of them have pulled out of the bidding race.
IPL 2026 will get underway with a match between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium on 28 March. They will then host Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on 5 April, before facing Rajasthan Royals (10 April in Guwahati) and Mumbai Indians (12 April in Mumbai). In the IPL 2025 final in Ahmedabad last year, RCB had beaten Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs to clinch their maiden title.
