From Rs 450 Cr to Rs 16,660 Cr: Former RCB owner Vijay Mallya reacts to massive growth, says ‘Part of my DNA’

The former owner of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Vijay Mallya, has spoken out after the team was sold for a massive amount. A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group bought RCB for Rs 16,660 crore, making it the most expensive franchise in IPL history.

Mallya said it feels really good to see his original investment of Rs 450 crore grow so much over the years.

Mallya’s message to new owners

In an X post, Vijay Mallya wrote:

“I would like to heartily congratulate the new owners of RCB. I wish them the very best and Godspeed with the most valuable IPL franchise. When I bought the franchise in 2008 for Rs 450 crores, most people laughed at me and criticised my investment as a vanity project. Behind my much-touted madness was building the Royal Challenge brand and hence I named the franchise RCB,“

“Immensely gratifying to see my Rs 450 crore investment grow to Rs 16,500 crores (Rs 16,660 crores). RCB will always remain a part of my DNA with indelible memories including picking the young Virat Kohli who is now amongst the best in the World. To all RCB fans who came on board during my stewardship and beyond, a grateful thank you and please continue to support RCB the Lion of Bengaluru. Namaskara,” he added.

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Other members of the New Ownership Group

Along with the Aditya Birla Group, the other buyers are:

• Bolt Ventures (Bolt)
• Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy (BXPE, Blackstone)

This deal has made RCB the costliest team ever in the Indian Premier League.

New leadership at RCB

Under the new owners:

• Aryaman Vikram Birla (Director, Aditya Birla Group) will be the Chairman
• Satyan Gajwani (from Times Internet Limited) will be the Vice Chairman

The group also includes:

• David Blitzer (founder of Bolt Ventures)
• Viral Patel (CEO of BXPE)

RCB’s special achievement

RCB is the first and only franchise to hold both the IPL and WPL titles at the same time. The men’s team won their first IPL title in 2025, and the women’s team won their second WPL title in February 2026.

Simple takeaway for fans

Vijay Mallya started RCB back in 2008 when many people thought it was a crazy idea. He built the team around the Royal Challenge brand and even picked a young Virat Kohli early on. Now, after 18 years, the team is worth more than 36 times what he paid for it.

Mallya has thanked all RCB fans and asked them to keep supporting “the Lion of Bengaluru.”

The name RCB stays the same, the colours stay the same, and the spirit remains. Only the owners have changed. For fans, it’s still the same passionate RCB, just with new people in charge and a much bigger value tag.

Also Read: After historic Rs 16,706 crore deal, Will Royal Challengers Bengaluru change its name? Here’s the truth