IPL 2026 Auction: Is Vijay Mallya Still the Owner of RCB?
IPL Auction 2026: The ownership of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) remains in the hands of Diageo India via United Spirits Ltd., with the original owner, Vijay Mallya, completely out of the picture since 2015, going into the mini-auction of IPL 2026 in Abu Dhabi.
In 2008, Vijay Mallya, driving United Spirits, acquired RCB at a price of $111.6 million, giving it a name of Royal Challenge liquor branding. Diageo’s financial troubles prompted the company to buy out Mallya’s 58% stake in United Spirits, completely taking over RCB in 2015; Mallya was already embroiled in legal cases when he gave up the fight.
The RCB, which is now a part of Diageo India Private Limited, is estimated to be worth $2 billion after the 2025 IPL victory. The Indian Premier League and Women’s Premier League teams managed by United Spirits subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd are captained by Rajat Patidar and coached by Andy Flower, respectively.
In November 2025, Diageo initiated a “strategic review,” considering a sale of 50% or 100% of the company by March 2026, and appointed Citibank as the advisor. The bidders consist of Vijay Kiragandur of Hombale Films, Sanjay Govil, Adar Poonawalla, and Adani/JSW Groups.
Mallya is considered a fugitive now; he does not have any stake and only talked about RCB in a nostalgic way in a 2025 podcast. He praised Virat Kohli without any operational ties. Diageo considers RCB as “non-core”, which is why it is divesting, and this is not related to Mallya.
RCB is entering the auction with its star players, like Virat Kohli, present, while looking for new faces under the present or possible future ownership.
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