Parth Jindal ready to ditch Delhi Capitals to acquire RCB ahead of IPL 2026
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The RCB franchise has attracted interest from several buyers since the current owners reportedly showed interest in selling their stakes. Six major parties are also in the mix-up, alongside two banks and one global company.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been surrounded by the buzz over the sale of their shares by the current owners of the franchise. A result of this, many believed that Virat Kohli, too, denied renewal of his brand contract ahead of the next IPL.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their maiden title in the 2025 season and also surpassed the Chennai Super Kings in the global popularity index while also emerging as one of the top three most commercially successful franchises in global T20 leagues.
Diageo shareholders are not willing to own an IPL team any further
RCB is currently owned by Diageo, the United Kingdom-based British Liquor Company, through its Indian subsidiary, United Spirits Ltd. The team was actually owned by Vijay Mallya in 2008, but Diageo took control in 2016 after acquiring the company.
As per the latest reports from Cricbuzz, "Diageo’s shareholders aren’t thrilled about continuing to own an IPL team - it’s not exactly a core business for a liquor company." The British Company has also mentioned the valuation cited by them for the IPL franchise. They have quoted a massive USD 2 billion for RCB.
For many, it seems steep; however, the media rights cycle would conclude on its fate. The future of IPL broadcast value will hinge on JioStar. If they go on to charge a minimum of INR 100/month and have 500M subscribers, then the IPL could generate a minimum of INR 20,000 crores, that is, $2.3B in just one season. Over the 5 seasons, it would be nearly $10 billion from subscriptions only and $2.5 billion more from ads.
Top 6 business houses in the mix-up for RCB
After the buzz had been made over the RCB sale, several business houses had shown interest in acquiring the much-loved IPL franchise. As per reports, up to six parties have shown interest and are considering options to strike a deal.
However, this has also been kept in mind that the parent company might change its decision at the last moment. Currently, the six business groups in contention are: Adar Poonawala from the Serum Institute, Parth Jindal (JSW Group), the Adani Group, a Delhi-based billionaire with multi-sector interests, and two US-based private equity firms.
Meanwhile, Diageo has involved Citibank as well as another private bank to advise on the sale, but Diageo's Indian house isn't fully on board yet, and the M Chinnaswamy Stadium fiasco has added another layer of uncertainty to the future of this deal.
Parth Jindal is willing to make a move from the Delhi Capitals to the RCB
Parth Jindal, the co-owner of the JSW Group, is already the co-owner of a team in the Indian Premier League. He owns 50% of the Delhi Capitals franchise, and to show any interest in the RCB, they will first have to sell their stake in the Capitals.
They will have to face the Adani Group, which has long been in contention for an IPL team and had almost set their hands on the Gujarat Titans side back in 2022. On the other hand, Adar Poonawala is back in the mix of IPL team bids, after having narrowly missed out on a team in 2010, when Lalit Modi expanded the league with the introduction of two new teams.
They lost to Sahara (Pune Warriors India) and Rendezvous (Kochi Tuskers); however, both teams soon vanished from the IPL after a few seasons.
