Birla, Blitzer, Blackstone, Times of India consortium to buy IPL team RCB for $1.78bn
A consortium comprising Aditya Birla Group, Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone said on Tuesday it would acquire Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for $1.78 billion, ending a weeks-long bidding war. The seller United Spirits, the Indian arm of UK-based drinks giant Diageo, launched a strategic review of its 100% holding of the Bengaluru franchise in November, labelling the team “non-core” to its primary alcohol business. Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s continent-spanning bidding war had drawn interest from global private equity firms KKR and Blackstone, Indian tycoons Adar Poonawalla, CEO of vaccine maker Serum Institute of India and Manipal Education and Medical Group chairman Ranjan Pai, as well as Manchester United co-chairman Avram Glazer. 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.