Who owns RCB? United Spirits' initial investment in the IPL team and current brand value

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is one of the most popular teams in the league. Over the years, the team have had some high profile names like Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Shane Watson within their ranks but they haven't been able to lay their hands on the coveted IPL trophy. The Royal Challengers Bangalore have made it thrice to the final of the tournament but have always ended up on the wrong side of the result. Let's take a look at who owns RCB and their brand value.

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Who owns RCB?

The Royal Challengers Bangalore was purchased by the now fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya for a whopping USD $111.6 million in 2008. This was the second-highest bid for a team after Reliance Industries, who bought the Mumbai franchise for USD $111.9 million. The Royal Challengers Bangalore was founded by United Spirits and named after the company's liquor brand Royal Challenge.

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United Spirits is an Indian based alcoholic beverage company previously owned by Vijay Mallya, who was also the owner of Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (RSCPL) – the parent company of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team. United Spirits is now owned by the British beverage company Diageo, which also happens to be the largest shareholder in RCSPL.

The Bangalore-based franchise is a fully-owned subsidiary of United Spirits, of which Vijay Mallya had been chairman and non-executive director, till he resigned from his post on February 25, 2016. Vijay Mallya also resigned from his position as a director of Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL), thus effectively giving away control over his team. As of now, United Spirits are the owners of Royal Challengers Bangalore. Amrit Thomas, who was previously the Chief Marketing Officer of the team, was appointed as the chairman in 2016 after Vijay Mallya stepped down.

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Royal Challengers Bangalore brand value

As per an annual survey conducted by Duff and Phelps on the IPL and its teams in 2019, RCB recorded a fall in its brand value to the tune of 8 per cent. The current brand value of Royal Challengers Bangalore is now ₹595 crore ($780 million)

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IMAGE COURTESY: RCB INSTAGRAM