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As the saying goes, there is no smoke without fire, and the rumoured change of ownership of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has turned out to be true, with it now official that the Indian Premier League (IPL) champions have been put on sale by their current owners Diagego. As per a report by Cricbuzz, Diageo made the information public in a communication to the Bombay Stock Exchange. The UK-based company reportedly cited the reason behind their move as a 'strategic reveiw'of their investment in the Royal Challengers Sports Private Ltd (RCSPL). The company also confirmed the sale will be completed before March 31 2026 essentially meaning, the deal will be done before the men's team begin their title defense. "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 participates 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 statement noted as per the published report Reason Behind RCB's Sale Praveen Someswar, Managing Director and CEO of USL, stated that the reason behind RCB's sale is that the sporting entity is not part of their core business of alcohol. "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 was quoted saying by Cricbuzz. RCB Set To Be Hot Property Although, it was only in 2025 that RCB won the tournament for the first time, they are arguably the most popular team in the league with a huge fanbase. While they play in front of a passionate fanbase in Bengaluru, star batter Virat Kohli's presence has added to their global popularity. Their women's team is also well supported, which is boosted by Indian cricket superstar Smriti Mandhana's presence, who captained them to the WPL title in 2024. This should make the franchise a hot property for any potential new owner. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Sports, Cricket and around the world.
