Virat Kohli for RCB Rajeev Shukla for BCCI Riyan Parag for RR. Image Credits: X
Tuesday, March 24, was a historic day in Indian cricket. Two franchises, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, saw a shift in ownership ahead of IPL 2026. The 2008 winners and defending champions witnessed a combined sale value of a whopping $3.4 billion, which is roughly ₹31000 crores.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s sale was finalised at $1.78 billion, making them the costliest team in the history of the cash-studded league. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Royals was sold at $1.63 billion rupees.
RCB Banks Birla Deal, RR Go To US-Based Entrepreneur
As mentioned above, RCB and RR’s sale is a new chapter in T20 cricket as the IPL winners are now the two most valued cricket teams in the world. Shedding more light on the two sales, the RCB franchise has now been sold to a consortium of Aditya Birla Group, US sports investors David Blitzer, and US private equity firm Blackstone.
It is worth noting that RCB’s previous owners, the United Spirits, had put up the franchise for sale just a few months after winning the IPL 2025 title last year.
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Meanwhile, for Rajasthan Royals, the Kal Somani-backed group placed a whopping bid of $1.63 billion (£1.2 billion), which is roughly ₹15000 crore. For the unversed, Manoj Badale held a majority stake in the Rajasthan Royals group before this takeover.
Also, the deal will be in place after IPL 2026, and Manoj Badale will continue to be the team owner till the end of the upcoming season.
BCCI To Take Away Massive Amount After RCB, RR Deal
Interestingly, the apex cricket board of India, the BCCI, has been heavily rewarded after the deal and sale of the two IPL-winning franchises on Tuesday. For the unversed, former IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, revealed that there is a rule in place, stating a 5% fee going to the board’s bank account after for a transfer of ownership in the IPL.
Therefore, going by the sale, RCB has been sold for a whopping ₹16,660 crores. If we take 5% of it, then the board will earn ₹833 crores. Calculating the amount earned by RR's sale, the 2008 winners were sold for ₹15000 crores, and the apex cricket board will earn 750 crores from the deal.
Therefore, the BCCI has earned a whopping ₹1583 crores even before the start of IPL 2026.
RR, RCB Eye 2nd IPL Title After Change Of Ownership
After months of negotiations and rumour mills, the focus has shifted back to cricket for Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The defending champions will start their campaign on March 28 when they lock horns against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Rajasthan Royals will square off against Chennai Super Kings on March 30 at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. The two teams have their own sets of problems ahead of IPL 2026. RCB will miss Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal. Meanwhile, RR will miss Sam Curran who has been ruled out of the tournament because of injury.
Also Read: Has MS Dhoni Become RCB’s New Owner After Aditya Birla Group’s Takeover?
