So finally, all the speculations have come to an end, and RCB has officially gone into the hands of new owners. The Aditya Birla Group, Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone have jointly purchased the team for around 1.78 billion dollars, which is approximately ₹16,706 crore.
According to a Cricbuzz report, this deal has been made with United Spirits Limited, under which 100% ownership of RCB will be transferred. This deal includes both the IPL and WPL teams, meaning the men’s and women’s teams of RCB are now owned by these four stakeholders.
Now, let’s understand the roles of these four stakeholders in the deal. After the new ownership, Aryaman Vikram Birla from the Aditya Birla Group will be the Chairman. Satyan Gajwani from the Times Group will be the Vice Chairman. Additionally, the consortium includes David Blitzer from Bolt Ventures and Viral Patel from Blackstone.
Now, you might be wondering—who exactly is Aryaman Vikram Birla, the new Chairman of RCB, who has spent crores to buy the team? Aryaman Birla is the son of Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla. He is currently 28 years old and is also a former cricketer. He has played domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh in India. He has shared the dressing room with players like Rajat Patidar and Venkatesh Iyer.
The newly appointed Chairman of RCB has also been part of the IPL as a player. He participated in the IPL 2018 mega auction and was bought by Rajasthan Royals for ₹30 lakh.
This deal is currently subject to certain conditions. It still requires approval from the BCCI, the Competition Commission of India, and other regulatory authorities.
Regarding the deal, Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said that the IPL has transformed the face of cricket over the past 20 years, and being associated with a team like RCB is a significant moment for them. He added that they aim to take forward the team’s legacy.
Meanwhile, Times Group’s Satyan Gajwani said that RCB is not just a team but one of the most popular brands in the IPL. Their goal is to turn it into a global sports brand.
Now, it will be interesting to see what impact this major change has on RCB before the start of the IPL.
