New Delhi:
Will Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore be sold to steel-to-power conglomerate JSW Group? The answer will soon be out!
According to reports, JSW is in advanced talks with global drinks giant Diageo Plc to acquire the league for nearly Rs 300 crore.
“Yes, we are in negotiation with Diageo to acquire RCB for Rs 250 crore to Rs 300 crore,” the Sajjan Jindal-owned company sources on Wednesday told PTI here.
The RCB franchise, which is now eight IPL seasons old, is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Spirits Limited (USL), in which Diageo has a majority stake.
Talks have been going on for a long time but the deal couldn’t come through because of the public spat between Diageo and former promoter Vijay Mallya over alleged diversion to Kingfisher and their UB Group entities.
The spat came to light when a full-blow boardroom battle broke out after USL said it had “lost confidence” in Mallya after an internal probe and a forensic inquiry by PWC revealed alleged fund diversion to Kingfisher and other UB group entities.
RCB is one of the most attractive teams in IPL despite not winning the title.
RCB, which was bought by Mallya for USD 111.6 million in 2008, the second most expensive team after Mukesh Ambani’s Mumbai Indians then, have star-studded players in the form of AB De Villiers, Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle.
Parth Jindal, who is CEO of Bengaluru Football Club, had shown interest in entering the cash-rich IPL business earlier this year.
