United Spirits could sell RCB cricket teams
Diageo’s Indian subsidiary, United Spirits, is considering offloading its Premier League cricket teams through a strategic review.
In a notice on 5 November, United Spirits (also known as Diageo India) said it would begin a strategic review of its investment in Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL).
The subsidiary includes ownership of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise teams, which participate in the men’s and women’s Premier League cricket tournaments.
Praveen Someshwar, managing director and CEO of United Spirits, described RCSPL as a “valuable and strategic asset” but noted it was “non-core” to the company’s alcohol business.
He said the review would support United Spirits and Diageo’s “commitment to continue reviewing its India enterprise portfolio to enable sustained delivery of long-term value to all its stakeholders, while keeping RCSPL’s best interest in mind”.
The review is expected to be concluded by 31 March 2026.
The RCB teams are named after United Spirits’ Royal Challenge Indian whisky brand.
The men’s RCB team won its first Indian Premium League (IPL) title this year, while the women’s team were crowned champions last year.
The IPL was established in 2008. Former United Spirits chairman Vijay Mallya acquired the Bengaluru team that year for US$11.6 million.
Mallya is the subject of an extradition effort by the Indian government to bring him back from the UK to face charges of financial crimes in India.
Last week, Bengaluru-based United Spirits reported its financial results for the six months ending 30 September 2025, with sales up by 10.1%.
For the second quarter of the year (July to September), United Spirits sales rose by 11.5%.
United Spirits attributed the double-digit growth to its re-entry into the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the ‘strong performance’ of its innovation efforts.
The company recently closed its 160-year-old manufacturing facility in Hyderabad, Telangana, due to ‘evolving market dynamics and ageing infrastructure’.
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