New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) Former owner of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Vijay Mallya reacted to the franchise's record-breaking sale after a consortium, led by Aditya Birla Group, completed the acquisition of the franchise for Rs 16,660 crore and said it's gratifying to see his Rs 450 crore investment has grown exponentially over the years".

Bolt Ventures (Bolt) and Blackstone's perpetual private equity strategy (BXPE, Blackstone) are the other members of the consortium that have jointly bought the franchise, making RCB the costliest franchise in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"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," Mallya shared in an X post.

"Immensely gratifying to see my Rs 450 crore investment grow to Rs 16,500 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.

Under the new ownership structure, Aryaman Vikram Birla, Director at the Aditya Birla Group, will serve as Chairman, while Satyan Gajwani of Times Internet Limited will take on the role of Vice Chairman. The consortium also includes David Blitzer, founder of Bolt Ventures, and Viral Patel, CEO of BXPE.

RCB is the first and only franchise to hold the IPL and WPL titles at the same time. The men's won their maiden IPL title in 2025, while the women followed suit to win their second WPL title in February 2026.

--IANS

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