Will RCB’s name be changed under new owners? Ananya Birla gives update on Instagram

RCB will face SRH in the IPL 2026 tournament opener on March 28 in Bengaluru.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise was sold by its owners, United Spirits Limited (USL), for USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,600 crore) to a four-member consortium including Aditya Birla Group, The Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy (BXPE).

The "all-cash" deal was announced by the United Spirits Limited (USL), the existing owner of the RCB teams in the IPL and WPL. Before the consortium officially assumes control of the franchise, the agreement must be approved by the Competition Commission of India and the BCCI.

When the IPL began in 2008, the Bengaluru squad was the second most costly of the eight original franchises, having been purchased by United Breweries Group, headed by Vijay Mallya, for USD 111.6 million.

Now the most burning question amongst the RCB fans was whether the new owners would change the name of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Ananya Birla, who is the sister of new RCB chairman Aryaman Birla, has confirmed the next step.

Ananya Birla, a part of the Aditya Birla Group, wrote on Instagram that RCB’s name will not be changed.

 Ananya Birla, the daughter of Indian business tycoon Kumar Mangalam Birla, was born in 1994. The Aditya Birla Group is chaired by Kumar Mangalam. Ananya Birla, 31, graduated from the University of Oxford with a bachelor's degree in business and economics. She has also had success as an entrepreneur, songwriter, and musician.

RCB has only ever changed their name once. In order to incorporate the local name of the city, RCB changed their name from Royal Challengers Bangalore to Royal Challengers Bengaluru prior to the 2024 Indian Premier League.

It makes sense for the new RCB owners not to change the name. Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the most popular IPL team in the world, and retaining the same name also makes a lot of commercial sense.