Aussie aces’ IPL franchise sold for $A2.56 billion
· Michael West
Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru is to be sold for $A2.56 billion.
Visit h-doctor.club for more information.
The news is bound to catch the eye of Cricket Australia and the states as they consider whether to cash in on the Big Bash League and adopt a frachise model.
While the huge Indian market is a very different proposition to Australia’s the sale highlights the ever-growing value of T20 cricket franchises.
The team, one of the IPL’s eight original franchises, won its first men’s title in 2025 after 17 years, with Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood and Indian superstar batter Virat Kohli among the key players.
Hazlewood will play for RCB this season, as will Tim David, their fees being $A2.2m and $A500,000 respectively.
A consortium comprising Aditya Birla Group, Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone said on Tuesday it would acquire RCB, ending a weeks-long bidding war.
The seller United Spirits, the Indian arm of UK-based drinks giant Diageo, are selling as they view the team “non-core” to its primary alcohol business.
The Indian Premier League, the world’s richest cricket league, counts Bollywood stars and Indian tycoons among its backers but is now attracting major private equity firms with the prospect of rapidly rising revenue and profits and massive viewership globally.
Rajasthan Royals, majority owned by London-based venture capitalist Manoj Badale, is also in a separate sale process.
Key factors driving interest in the league are a doubling in the value of broadcast rights to more than $A8.6 billion in the most recent auction in 2022, rising franchise revenues and the Indian cricket board BCCI’s pooled revenue-sharing model that bolsters team revenues.
The acquisition encompasses both the men’s IPL franchise and the Women’s Premier League franchise and is subject to customary closing conditions.