Yesterday, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), both the men’s and women’s cricket teams, underwent a change of ownership. A consortium of Kumar Mangalam’s Aditya Birla Group, Blackstone, and David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures acquired the franchise for $1.78 billion (approximately INR 16,705 crore) from Diageo.
The burning question raised was, will RCB undergo a name change in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL) going forward? As the most followed and loved team in franchise cricket, RCB has the most loyal fanbase. The team is as much theirs as the owners.
No name change for RCB
Reports had come out after the sale went through that the new ownership wouldn’t change the name of the franchise. This had previously happened with the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and the Delhi Daredevils (now the Delhi Capitals).
Addressing these rumours, the daughter of Kumar Mangalam Birla, Ananya Birla, has confirmed that RCB won’t be changing their name in the IPL or WPL. It will remain the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the name they adopted in 2024, aligning with the updated name of the city.
“RCB is sold for 16705 crores! A consortium of Aditya Birla Group, David Blitzer, Blackstone has acquired RCB. Good news is as per reports Aditya Birla group have confirmed that the name “Royal Challengers Bengaluru” will remain same,” Ananya wrote on Instagram.
When will the official RCB ownership transfer happen?
RCB had set March 31 as the deadline for the takeover. So, one can expect that to happen. However, the ownership transfer cannot be completed until the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) approves the sale. This can’t be completed until the next BCCI annual general meeting (AGM) happens.
Last year, the BCCI’s AGM took place on September 28 in Mumbai. Considering the BCCI doesn’t change the window, the consortium of Aditya Birla Group, Blackstone, and David Blitzer will have to wait until October 2026 to take over from Diageo.
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