Increasingly, injury time is not Arne time. A night when Wolves could savour an action replay left Arne Slot lamenting the “same old story”. For the second time in four days, head coach Rob Edwards set off down the touchline in manic celebration. Wolves, as their fans had chorused, are bound for the Championship, but on the way they are bloodying the noses of those with ambitions of Champions League qualification. First Aston Villa and now Liverpool have fallen at Molineux.
For Slot, the sense of déjà vu was depressing. His side are record breakers in the wrong sense, the first team in Premier League history to lose five matches in a season due to 90th-minute goals. “The three times we lost in the last 22 games were all three in extra time,” Slot said after Wolves, like Bournemouth and Manchester City before them, struck at the death. Include the late equalisers Fulham and Leeds got and Liverpool have let nine points slip through their grasp in injury time. It may cost them Champions League football.
Liverpool could call their latest setback cruel, when the decider needed a deflection, when they had hit the woodwork twice. “That it happens in extra time might be a coincidence but it happens so many times,” said Slot. Once again, it calls into question Liverpool’s game management.
Andre’s deflected strike snatched all three points for Wolves (AFP via Getty Images)
For him, there were further familiar themes, another occasion when Liverpool dominated possession, had more shots, had the better of the statistics beyond the scoreline. “We hardly give away a chance but they score two,” he rued.
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Yet Virgil van Dijk did not plead misfortune. “I think it’s down to ourselves,” said the Liverpool captain. “It was slow, we were predictable, sloppy in possession and [guilty of] wrong decision-making.” It was an excoriating verdict but scarcely an exaggeration.
Defeat came late but Liverpool could trace it to their sluggish start. Even as they picked up the pace, even as Mohamed Salah ended a Premier League goal drought that had extended over four months, even though Wolves did not attempt a shot of any kind until their opening goal, Liverpool arguably did too little over the course of a match that was three-quarters forgettable fare, one quarter frenetic entertainment.
Wolves began frustrating Liverpool with their obduracy and ended doing it with their attacking. They began compact and organised, four central midfielders and three centre-backs forming a solid block. But Edwards rationalised the game would open up and made influential substitutions.
Two combined for the breakthrough with a second goal in as many games for the man who finished off Villa. Rodrigo Gomes had only been on the pitch for eight minutes when he struck. A fellow replacement, Tolu Arokodare, was too strong for Van Dijk, turning him and supplying on the on-rushing Gomes to dink a shot over Alisson.
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Rodrigo Gomes broke the deadlock for Wolves with 12 minutes to play (AFP via Getty Images)
After Salah levelled, as Liverpool committed men forward in the search for a winner, so did Wolves. After Alisson’s poor kick, Andre’s shot looped up off Joe Gomez and left the goalkeeper helpless. Wolves, the team with the four Gomeses, got the decisive touch from a Gomez. “We conceded a deflected shot, which was not even a chance,” said Slot.
Liverpool are nevertheless left to consider the prospect their struggles against their supposed inferiors will cost them a top-five finish. They have lost to Nottingham Forest and Wolves this season, drawn with Burnley and Leeds. Some 12 points have escaped their grasped in those games.
When it seemed they had salvaged something at Molineux, it was when Salah briefly turned back time. There are times, even when their powers are waning, when the greats can summon a little of their old selves. Hitherto ineffectual, Salah then darted into a gap and improvised a finish which he flicked with the outside of his left foot. Jose Sa got his left hand to it, but the ball nestled in the net. Salah’s 253rd Liverpool goal was his first in the Premier League since November.
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Mohamed Salah ended his goal drought but Liverpool were beaten (PA Wire)
Perhaps, though, it summed up the current Salah that it did not prevent defeat. Liverpool had struck the woodwork twice, in distinctly different fashion. A couple of minutes before Salah struck, Rio Ngumoha’s low shot was brilliantly turned on to the post by Sa. Just after half-time, a combination of Curtis Jones’s shoulder and Cody Gakpo’s boot turned the ball on the bar after Hugo Ekitike had flicked on Salah’s corner. After three goals from set-pieces against West Ham on Saturday, Liverpool ought to have had another.
But they mustered too little else. “What didn’t change in the last five, six seven games is that we struggle and find it very hard to score from open play chances that we do create,” admitted Slot. Nor did they create enough.
This was a game that was crying out for Ngumoha long before his introduction, though, at 64 minutes, it was the earliest he had come on in the Premier League. Gakpo, though, had been poor as a starter.
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And Wolves finished with a flourish; on the night and perhaps over the season. After one win all season, they have two in a week. “We are showing we are not as bad as people thought,” said Edwards, whose touchline dash showed the emotional relief of victory and brought pain, though not the sort Slot was feeling. “It’s my groin this time,” the Wolves manager said. “I’m falling apart.”
Soaring World Cup ticket prices have pushed European fans to file a complaint against FIFA.
“The cheapest openly available final tickets now start at $4,185,” the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) group said. That’s around €3,400 — and “more than seven times the cost of the cheapest 2022 World Cup final ticket,” the group said in statement.
FSE filed the complaint with the European Commission, accusing FIFA of “excessive ticket prices” and “unfair purchasing conditions” and calling it an “abuse of its monopoly position.”
“They leave loyal fans with no other choice — pay up or lose out,” FSE’s executive director said.
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€163,000 for a single seat
As of Tuesday, resale sites like Viagogo and SeatPick listed single final-match seats for as much as €163,000 (about $190,000)
In Mexico — one of the World Cup’s three co-hosts — reselling tickets above face value is prohibited, but only for those purchased domestically in local currency. In the United States and Canada, by contrast, resale markets remain largely unregulated.
The 2026 World Cup will be the largest yet, featuring 48 teams, instead of 32, playing in three countriesImage: JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images
Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, defended the high prices as a reflection of the high demand.
“In the US in particular, there is this thing called dynamic pricing, meaning the prices will go up or down” depending on the match, he said.
FSE, however, argues that “dynamic pricing” lacks safeguards, with no cap on how high prices can rise.
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Cheap tickets were ‘so scarce’
At the end of last year, FIFA introduced $60 (€52) tickets, making up 10% of each qualifying team’s allocation. National associations manage distribution, prioritizing loyal supporters through their own rules.
“In practice, [the $60 tickets] were so scarce that the entire Category 4 inventory was practically sold out before general public sales opened,” FSE said.
Beyond the six-figure cost of a final ticket, FSE said FIFA’s bid documents projected an average ticket price of about $1,400 per seat — but “that number has been left far behind,” the group said.
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EU called to step in
Lobby group Euroconsumers, which filed the complaint jointly with FSE, demanded action from the European Union.
“We are calling on the European Commission to intervene immediately with interim measures to halt these exploitative practices before the 2026 tournament begins.”
FSE and Euroconsumers said FIFA’s sales tactics create ‘artificial urgency,’ pressuring fans into rushed purchasesImage: Joel Marklund/Bildbyran/IMAGO
The European Commission confirmed it has received the complaint and will assess it under standard procedures.
Although the World Cup takes place in North America, the Commission can intervene because FIFA’s ticketing practices affect European consumers. No deadline has been set for the review.
Largest World Cup ever
The tournament is set to begin June 11 and will be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams instead of 32. Fans will be buying tickets for a total of 104 matches.
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Despite the high prices, demand remains strong: FIFA said the latest sales phase saw more than half a billion ticket requests for this year’s expanded tournament.
1 min read Last Updated : Mar 20 2026 | 11:04 AM IST
India will host the prestigious World Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar as the international body on Thursday awarded the hosting rights of the event to the country at its council meeting in Torun, Poland.
The decision was taken at the World Athletics Council meeting a day before the start of 2025 World Indoor Athletics Championships in the Polish city.
“India has been awarded the World Indoor Athletics Championships for year 2028,” World Athletics vice president Adille Sumariwalla told PTI from Poland.
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AFI had revealed its bid for the World Indoor Championships, earlier this year.
A two-member team from World Athletics had visited the state-of-the-art indoor facility at the Kalinga Stadium Complex in Bhubaneswar in January.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Canada’s Victoria Mboko was ousted by Czechia’s Karolina Muchova deep into a WTA 1000 tournament for a second time this year.
Muchova posted a 7-5, 7-6 (5) win over Mboko in a tightly contested quarterfinal Tuesday at the Miami Open.
The Czech veteran scored the only break of the match when she came back from 30-love to take a 6-5 lead in the first set.
She then saved a set point in the second set before winning the tiebreaker, converting match point against serve.
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Mboko was in the quarterfinals of a third straight 1000-level tournament, a run that started with a loss to Muchova in the final of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month.
She also advanced to the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, Calif., earlier this month before losing to top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka.
The 19-year-old from Burlington, Ont., who entered Miami ranked ninth in the world, improved her record this season to 19-6 with her run to the quarterfinals in Miami.
Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the 2025–26 season, bringing an end to his remarkable nine-year spell at Anfield.
The club confirmed that an agreement has been reached with the Egypt international to depart this summer despite his current contract running until 2027.
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Salah will leave as one of the most successful and influential players in Liverpool’s modern history.
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Since arriving from AS Roma in 2017, the forward has played a central role in one of the most successful periods the club has enjoyed in recent decades.
During his time on Merseyside, Salah has helped Liverpool win eight major trophies.
Those honours include two Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in 2019.
He will depart as the third-highest goalscorer in Liverpool’s history.
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Salah has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances for the club.
Only Liverpool legends Ian Rush and Roger Hunt have scored more goals for the club.
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The Egyptian also played a decisive role in last season’s Premier League title win under head coach Arne Slot.
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Salah finished that campaign as both the league’s leading scorer and its most productive creator.
He registered 29 goals and 18 assists during Liverpool’s title-winning season.
However, this campaign has proved more challenging for the 33-year-old.
Salah has scored five goals and provided six assists in 22 league appearances this season.
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Across all competitions, he has reached double figures with 10 goals.
Earlier in the season, his future became uncertain following comments made after he was left on the bench during a 3-3 draw with Leeds United.
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Salah suggested he felt “thrown under the bus” and hinted at tension within the club.
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He was later left out of Liverpool’s squad for a Champions League match against Inter Milan.
That decision was reportedly taken by sporting director Richard Hughes in consultation with the club hierarchy.
Despite those moments of uncertainty, Salah returned to the starting line-up following the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
He has since started 13 matches for Liverpool since late January.
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Liverpool stated that Salah remains focused on finishing the current campaign strongly before his departure.
The club added that tributes to his achievements will follow later in the year when he bids farewell to Anfield.
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His departure will close one of the most productive chapters in Liverpool’s history and mark the end of an era for the club and its supporters.
Thomas filed his lawsuit on March 19 in the Cook County Circuit Court, according to Fox 32 Chicago.
His lawsuit alleges that companies including Nike, Fanatics, and his old team—the White Sox—have been selling ‘City Connect 2.0″ jerseys that feature his name and his player number without his consent. The jerseys have been on sale since April 2025, and he claims he was never compensated for the sales.
He further argues that he has no contract with the companies using his name and number.
“The complaint we filed alleges violations of the Illinois Right to Publicity Act. Companies may not profit from anyone’s identity without their permission. We believe our filing speaks for itself,” attorney William Gibbs of Corboy & Demetrio said in the lawsuit.
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Frank Thomas is suing the White Sox, Nike, and Fanatics for selling a jersey using his name and number without his consent or compensation (Getty Images)
The lawsuit claims that the use of his name and number violates the “fundamental principles of justice, equity, good conscience, and fair play.”
Thomas is seeking damages, which include profits from merchandise sold with his name and number, as well as other financial losses. He has also asked for a jury trial.
The White Sox said the organization does “not comment on on-going litigation.”
The Independent has requested comment from Nike and Fanatics.
The City Connect jersey at the center of the lawsuit is still available on both Nike and Fanatics’ websites.
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Thomas spent most of his career playing with the White Sox, where he hit 448 of his 521 home runs while playing in Chicago, according to The Athletic.
Thomas with fans during a game against the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium in California in August 1994 (Getty Images)
White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf makes a presentation to Thomas on his retirement in August 2010, when his number 35 shirt was retired as a tribute to his achievements (Getty Images)
He retired officially in 2010, after which the White Sox retired his number—35—and he was later inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2014. After he retired, Thomas went on to work as a business operations consultant for the team in 2016.
Thomas at a Houston Astros game in Texas in 2005 (Getty Images)
Despite his long history with the team, he’s also been critical of the organization. Thomas responded to a White Sox Black History Month post that celebrated other noted Black players but made no mention of him, despite the fact that he’s the team’s home-run leader.
“I guess the black player who made you rich over there and holds all your records is forgettable! Don’t worry I’m taking receipts,” he wrote in response to the post.
He also fought with the team’s general manager, Ken Williams, near the end of his time with the organization. His biggest complaint was focused on a “diminished skills” clause put into Thomas’ contract in 2002 that allowed the team to reduce his pay.
Distance is important for your tee shots, but all those yards are worthless if you can’t keep the ball in play. That’s why spurning accuracy in the pursuit of distance is such a dangerous game. You need a healthy dose of both skills to be truly effective.
Controlling the clubface is crucial in the pursuit of accuracy. While a face that’s a few degrees open or closed might not hurt you too much with the shorter clubs, with a driver in your hands it can be quite detrimental.
Sometimes when you’re really trying to get after it with a driver, your hands and wrists will get very active during the swing. And while this can generate some extra mphs on the radar, it can make controlling the clubface through impact difficult.
If this sounds like you, there’s an easy fix, courtesy of GOLF Top 100 Teacher Joe Hallett.
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Use a split-hand grip
When you’re standing on the tee box and are staring down a tight driving hole, don’t make your practice swing as you normally would. Instead, grab the club and take a split grip and then make a practice swing.
It’ll feel weird at first, but you’ll notice that as you go back and through, the clubface is much more stable.
“It’ll be really hard to overly flip your wrists and hand through impact,” Hallett says.
Instead of relying only on your hands and wrists to generate speed, the split grip forces the club to get in sync with your body. Now, the big muscles are doing the work — and keeping the clubface much more stable through impact.
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“Split the grip, and you’ll split the fairway,” Hallett says.
Nearly three hours west of Nashville is Martin, Tennessee, where Ty Simpson was raised effectively his whole life. He grew up there with his younger sister and brother, both athletes (younger brother Graham is also a quarterback) who spent plenty of time around the University of Tennessee-Martin football team because his father, Jason, has been their head coach since 2006.
But Ty Simpson became the talk of Martin, garnering offers from colleges as far back as when he was in eighth grade. In fact there was a point where the University of Tennessee recruited both Ty and Jason Simpson for spots on the team at quarterback and assistant coach, respectively.
Interest in Simpson only grew larger as he stepped into high school ball. Simpson totaled 27 touchdowns as a junior for Westview High School, then led them to the 2A Tennessee State Championship as a senior with 41 passing touchdowns, 2,827 passing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns and 862 rushing yards in 14 games. That was enough to earn him Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year Honors and get admitted to the 2022 All-American Bowl in San Antonio.
When all was said and done, every single SEC school had offers out to Simpson. A five-star recruit per 247Sports, Simpson chose Alabama over LSU, Ole Miss and even Tennessee-Martin.
Despite being a little undersized, Simpson is a wiz at processing defenses pre- and post-snap and can act on it appropriately. He’s got a pro-style arm capable of making any throw on the field with the legs to get him out of trouble and a gunslinger mentality that may need to be tamed, not exploited. He should adapt to any offense.
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Brock Purdy is a valid comparison because he’s smart, mobile, accurate and even a bit of a gunslinger himself. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if Simpson eventually was a multi-year starter with some success like Purdy.
About
2025 Second-team All-SEC
Threw for 3,567 yards in 2025 (fourth-most in Alabama history)
Opened 2025 with 21-1 TD-INT and 273.4 pass YPG over first nine games
Finished season with 7-4 TD-INT and 184.3 pass YPG over final six games
Could become fourth Alabama QB drafted in Round 1 since 2020 (Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, Bryce Young)
College stats
Season
G
Cmp
Att
Cmp%
Yds
TD
INT
Y/A
Rate
2022
4
4
5
80.0
35
0
0
7.0
138.8
2023
6
11
20
55.0
179
0
0
9.0
130.2
2024
6
14
25
56.0
167
0
0
6.7
112.1
2025
15
305
473
64.5
3,567
28
5
7.5
145.2
Career
31
334
523
63.9
3,948
28
5
7.5
143.0
Rate = NCAA passer efficiency rating
Strengths
Good lower-body strength helps him generate power and velocity on his throws.
Polished footwork stayed consistent throughout his games, only occasionally crossing up his feet. Simpson did a good job resetting before throwing.
Experienced changing play calls and protections before the snap. Also had a portion of plays at Alabama from under center.
One of the best pre- and post-snap processors I’ve seen in the last few years, with plenty of examples of Simpson scanning the field and settling on a second or third read. This is consistent with son-of-a-football-coach quarterbacks who enter the league. Issues some had with Jaxson Dart or Shedeur Sanders last year do not exist with Simpson, who is equipped to learn and operate any offense.
Generally has a good release that helps him get the ball out quickly.
The better the situation, the better the accuracy and ball placement. Simpson was typically great from clean pockets, like most quarterbacks, but also delivered more than a fair share of on-target throws when pressured and/or on the move. His overall completion rate doesn’t account for the 30 drops by his pass catchers in 2025; Pro Football Focus credited him with a 75.3% adjusted completion rate, which ranked 15th out of 57 qualifiers.
Elite anticipatory thrower, particularly effective at attacking zone coverage by throwing to spaces where his receivers were going.
Consistently throws with exceptional velocity, but can take something off and deliver with touch when necessary. Also has enough arm to reach the sidelines most of the time.
Generates quality arm strength from his strong base. There are multiple examples of Simpson putting the ball 45-plus yards in the air, including a 60-yard overthrow in October.
Willing to use his legs on designed runs or to extend plays and win on improvisation. Simpson has done that since high school (11 rushing touchdowns and 862 rushing yards as a senior) and should feel comfortable instinctively using his feet. Teams may view his rushing as a bonus rather than a core part of his game.
Sneaky-good speed, both when taking off for a first down and when moving outside the pocket. Even his dropbacks are quicker than a typical quarterback’s — just enough speed to make defenses sweat.
Excellent character to pair with his football intelligence. Spent time in high school giving back to the community by volunteering with the elderly and at Goodwill.
Concerns
One-year starter at Alabama, leading the way for 15 games. That’s it. He played sparingly in 2023 and 2024, failing to make any starts or throw any touchdowns. It is rare for quarterbacks with limited college experience to make an NFL impact. Teams will also want to understand why Simpson couldn’t unseat Jalen Milroe in 2024, particularly after midseason losses at Vanderbilt and Tennessee.
Shorter than ideal for the position. Simpson had 10 passes batted down last season, 13th-most in the FBS.
Lacks bulk, especially in his upper body, which may have contributed to injuries in 2025.
Injuries were significant and clearly impacted his play. Simpson reportedly suffered a herniated disc against South Carolina that required epidurals and led to gastritis from anti-inflammatory medication that didn’t agree with his stomach.
He also dealt with elbow bursitis late in the year and a cracked rib that forced him out of Alabama’s CFP game against Indiana.
Production dipped once injuries set in. In his first eight games, Simpson completed 67.8% of his throws for 8.4 yards per attempt and a 7.66% TD rate. Over his final seven, those numbers fell to 60.4%, 6.5 YPA and 3.77%.
Defenses adjusted accordingly, blitzing Simpson more frequently once it became clear he wasn’t the same physically.
Upper-body mechanics were mostly sound, but he sometimes threw with an over-the-top motion. It felt like at least once per game Simpson would throw a pass at a receiver’s feet because of it. Many of those misses came on easier plays like screens.
Handling of pass rush pressure was inconsistent. There were times when Simpson stayed poised in the pocket with chaos around him and delivered a strike, and others when pressure became a major issue.
At times, he got happy feet and drifted out of the pocket or rushed his throwing motion to avoid contact. Other times, he failed to recognize pressure entirely and took big hits. There were also plays — maybe once per game — when Simpson would “see ghosts” and sense pressure that wasn’t there.
He struggled more with pass rush pressure late in the season, likely due to the injuries he was trying to protect.
NFL coaches will likely make pass rush management an early coaching point. The good news: if Sam Darnold overcame seeing ghosts, Simpson can too — and hopefully a lot sooner.
Much has been made about Simpson’s accuracy to the sidelines. On throws of 10 or fewer air yards, he posted an 83.3% completion rate, top-25 in the FBS. On throws of 20-plus air yards, his completion rate was a solid 58.3%.
The concern lies in the intermediate range. On throws between 13 and 19 air yards, Simpson completed just 9.1% (1 of 11). Some of those incompletions were on receivers failing to finish plays on catchable balls, and pass rush pressure was a factor on most of those throws. The hope is that Simpson develops in this area, but it is something teams should note.
Simpson’s overall off-target rate was 13.3% — 23.5% when pressured and 9.9% when kept clean (both around FBS average). This is more evidence that pass rush management is a problem that must be addressed, though there is also evidence he can handle it when healthy.
There was also a slight tendency to throw without considering the health of his receiver, i.e., throwing hospital balls. It’s never good when a quarterback leads his receivers into oncoming traffic.
Bottom line
Simpson has a number of crucial traits — primarily football intelligence, footwork and processing — that most inexperienced quarterbacks don’t have. Those are traits NFL coaches will love because they put Simpson on an accelerated track to the starting lineup compared to passers who relied heavily on athleticism in college.
Teams will have to decide if that’s enough to overlook his lack of experience and pass rush management. They will also need to map out a plan to develop Simpson comfortably without rushing him into action, where he could get overwhelmed.
There’s enough talent to believe Simpson can become a capable, if not successful, NFL starter someday, but no team should expect it to happen in 2026. That’s why teams planning for the future — like the Rams, Steelers and Buccaneers — could be just as interested in Simpson as a team without a franchise quarterback.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – MARCH 23: Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan returns a shot against Talia Gibson of Australia during Day 7 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 23, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
Elena Rybakina continued her run at the Miami Open 2026, defeating Talia Gibson 6–2, 6–2 to reach the quarterfinals.
It marks her 20th WTA 1000 quarterfinal.
After the match, Rybakina acknowledged her opponent’s level:
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“She’s a great player. She’s been playing really well lately. From qualies… a lot of matches. I’m pretty happy with my performance today. But definitely, she’s a very good player.”
She also assessed her own performance honestly:
“She has a good serve. I think I was returning not too bad today. I felt like I was moving well. Not the freshest, not my best. But overall I think it was very solid from all the aspects.”
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The result continues a strong stretch of form: 0 sets dropped this week 31 wins in her last 35 matches Back-to-back WTA 1000 quarterfinals Third Miami quarterfinal appearance
Since the North American hard court swing began last July, Rybakina has now won 48 matches, more than any other player on tour during that period.
A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group, along with The Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone, signed a definitive agreement to acquire a 100 per cent stake in Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), including both its Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL) teams.
The franchise is being acquired from United Spirits Limited (USL), a subsidiary of Diageo plc, in a deal that values RCB at $1.78 billion (around ₹16,600 crore), according to a Times of India report. The transaction remains subject to customary approvals from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the IPL Governing Council and other regulatory authorities.
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New ownership structure post-IPL 2026
Following the completion of the deal after the 2026 IPL season, Aryaman Vikram Birla, director at the Aditya Birla Group, will take over as chairman of the franchise. Satyan Gajwani of The Times of India Group will serve as vice-chairman.
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The acquisition marks a significant entry of large conglomerates and private capital into franchise cricket, underscoring the IPL’s evolution into a high-value global sports property.
‘Global sporting powerhouse’: Kumar Mangalam Birla
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Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, said the IPL has transformed Indian cricket and created substantial economic value.
“Over the past two decades, the IPL has morphed into a global sporting powerhouse that has changed the face of Indian cricket, creating enormous value for India. RCB, as one of the most compelling franchises in modern sport, offers the Aditya Birla Group a distinctive platform to extend its legacy of institution-building into the arena of global sport. We are delighted to become custodians of this asset and committed to further building this extraordinary legacy,” he was quoted as saying by Times of India.
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Gajwani said the group aims to strengthen RCB’s position as a global sports brand while retaining its strong regional identity.
“RCB is the reigning champion and the most popular brand in the IPL. As The Times of India Group, together with our partners, we will build RCB into a global sporting institution, while remaining rooted in Bengaluru and Karnataka and its incredible fanbase. We are committed to the people who built this championship-winning culture — the players, coaches, leadership team and the fans,” he said.
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Competitive bidding and rising valuations
The sale process had attracted interest from several high-profile bidders, including Serum Institute of India’s Adar Poonawalla, Manipal Hospitals’ Ranjan Pai, private equity firms EQT, TPG and Temasek, as well as the Glazer family, which owns Manchester United.
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The sharp rise in valuation reflects the growing commercial strength of IPL franchises. United Spirits had originally acquired the Bengaluru franchise in 2008 for $111.6 million (around ₹485 crore). The RCB management later paid ₹901 crore in 2023 to secure the WPL team.
From title drought to champion status
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RCB’s on-field success in recent years has further strengthened its brand. The franchise won the WPL title in 2024 and secured its maiden IPL trophy in 2025 after years of near misses.
Over the years, the team has featured some of T20 cricket’s biggest names, including Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, Anil Kumble, Glenn Maxwell, Yuvraj Singh and Faf du Plessis.
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Kohli’s tenure as captain from 2013 played a pivotal role in elevating RCB’s popularity, coinciding with his rise as one of the most influential figures in global cricket.
Strong brand and fan following
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Despite a prolonged title drought before 2025, RCB built one of the most loyal fanbases in the IPL, particularly in Karnataka and across digital platforms.
As of 2026, the franchise remains among the most followed teams in terms of social media reach and broadcast popularity. In 2025, Brand Finance ranked RCB as the second most valuable IPL brand after Mumbai Indians, while also placing it among the three strongest brands alongside Mumbai and Chennai.
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The same year, global investment bank Houlihan Lokey identified RCB as the foremost brand in the IPL ecosystem.
 "Athletics Relay, Tokyo Olympics 2021")
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