“THE ACQUIRING CONSORTIUM brings together four partners with complementary strengths across sport, media, technology, and brand-building.” This line from the official release pretty much sums up what the new owners of Royal Challengers Bengaluru collectively bring to the table and will depend on to achieve its new age global ambitions.
Leading the consortium is Aditya Birla Group (ABG) – one of India’s largest conglomerates, with a legacy that dates back to 1857, making its first serious play into global sports asset ownership and institutional management of cricket teams. And Aryaman Birla, ABG scion and one time cricketer, who retired from the professional game at the ripe old age of 22, makes his return, not as a player, but as the new chairman of RCB. Being groomed to eventually take the reins from his father – ABG chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, the heir apparent holds multiple roles within ABG (director at Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited, board member at Grasim Industries, director at Aditya Birla Management Corporation among them). Speaking about the RCB acquisition, Aryaman described it as an opportunity to “shape the next phase of growth” by combining expertise in sports, media and consumer businesses.
Then there is The Times of India Group (Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.), India’s largest media conglomerate, founded in 1838, and owned by the Jain family, playing “second fiddle”. Satyan Gajwani, chairman, Times Internet Limited, and son-in-law of media mogul Samir Jain, vice-chairman and managing director of The Times Group, is the consortium’s vice-chairman.
Gajwani is already well entrenched in the cricket ecosystem. Operating primarily out of the US, he leads the group’s cricket businesses. Times brings extensive capabilities in cricket media, sports IP, fan engagement, and international expansion through Cricbuzz (the world’s leading cricket platform), Willow TV (North America’s “home of cricket”), and ownership in Major League Cricket (USA) and the London Spirit (The Hundred).
Gajwani’s close ties to the Indian-origin bigwigs of the tech world is clearly evident in both Major League Cricket (MLC) and London Spirit. The likes of Sundar Pichai (Alphabet CEO), Satya Nadella (Microsoft CEO) and Shantanu Narayen (Adobe CEO) are just three very prominent names on a list that literally reads like a who’s who of the global tech world.
One shouldn’t forget the IPL connect to MLC, in the ownership of four of the six teams – LA Knight Riders (KolKata Knight Riders), MI New York (Mumbai Indians), Texas Super Kings (Chennai Super Kings), and Seattle Orcas (Delhi Capitals).
Speaking about the acquisition, Gajwani noted, “As The Times of India Group, together with our partners, we will build RCB into a global sporting institution (emphasis ours).”
Seen from this perch, the most direct move in the immediate term would be for RCB to join the MLC as a new team or as a part of an existing non-IPL linked team. Which could be San Francisco Unicorns (current owners Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan) or Washington Freedom (owner Sanjay Govil).
The possibilities around how the Indian diaspora could be tapped in the US, as too activations in the lead-up to LA28, are many. And having David Blitzer and his private investment platform Bolt Ventures on board is another big plus. Blitzer’s portfolio includes ownership stakes in Crystal Palace F.C. (EPL), the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), the New Jersey Devils (NHL), the Washington Commanders (NFL), the Cleveland Guardians (MLB), Real Salt Lake (MLS), and multiple other franchises spanning the globe. Bolt brings significant experience in sports operations, franchise governance, and value creation across the industry’s biggest and best sports leagues.
And finally, in Blackstone, as the world’s largest alternative asset manager, its investment brings in massive financial heft.
A name change on the cards?
One would have to assume that both ABG, and The Times Group, would sooner rather than later want to change the expanded name of RCB – Royal Challengers Bengaluru. For there is no getting away from the fact that it was explicitly named after United Spirits Limited’s (USL) Royal Challenge whisky brand upon its 2008 inception. With the team’s red-and-gold colors mirroring the liquor brand, the association became a major marketing success, driving awareness for the Royal Challenge label and helping it to raise its profile into that of a premium whisky.
Whatever name is finally chosen, however, it is reasonable to assume that it will remain as an expansion of RCB. “Royal Champions of Bengaluru” anyone?
