RCB’s Virat Kohli and former cricketers Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers celebrate (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma)

NEW DELHI: The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise looks set to be sold before the start of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) edition. In a letter to the Bombay Stock Exchange, United Spirits Limited (USL) – the Indian arm of Diageo PLC – has stated in line with SEBI disclosure obligations that USL is initiating a strategic review of its investments in Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Limited (RCSPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the company.The process will be initiated for both men’s and women’s teams of RCB and USL has further mentioned in the disclosure that it expects the process to conclude by March 31, 2026. Praveen Someshwar, the MD and CEO of USL, has said, “the RCSPL has been a valuable and strategic asset for USL. However, it is non-core to our alcohol-beverage business.”Someshwar further said that this step is to reinforce USL and Diageo’s commitment to continue reviewing its India enterprise portfolio to enable sustained delivery of long term value to all stakeholders while also keeping RCSPL’s best interest in mind.As of November 2025, the RCB franchise finds itself stuck in the middle of an ugly controversy in the aftermath of an unfortunate stampede which happened outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4. The crowd went out of control during the franchise’s maiden IPL title celebrations and the matter snowballed into a political storm.Ever since the incident, it has been highly speculated that USL and Diageo would not be averse to parting with the franchise.Despite winning just one title in the IPL, RCB has been among three of the most valuable IPL franchises largely for two reasons – the presence of Virat Kohli, one of India’s biggest cricket stars and the massive fandom it has managed to create in the last decade. Digitally, RCB has been one of the most actively managed cricketing assets in the country. The franchise has had a good showing in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), too, as they won the 2024 edition.It is further learnt that Diageo and USL have appointed Citibank to work on the entire process.