Qatar Airways has relinquished its position as the title sponsor of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) just before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The champions have now got another deal with a tech company based in London called Nothing.
The association between RCB and Qatar Airways spanned from 2023 to 2025 and its worth was around ₹275 crores for three years. Now, the young and innovative smartphone and tech company Nothing has stepped in for the title sponsorship with a plan to increase their market share in India.
On the other hand, the franchise that celebrated its first IPL victory in 2025 is left without an owner. Diageo, the drinks giant that owns the team, is moving ahead with the sale process and would like to have the new owner in place before the next season starts.
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Numerous suitors have shown their interest to take over the team, and the name of Serum Institute of India’s Aadar Poonawala has been mentioned among the top contenders. The winner of the league and the change of ownership and sponsorship talk has been triggered by the unfortunate incident of a stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during the team’s triumph celebrations, which resulted in 11 fatalities.
RCB gets ready for the IPL 2026 player auctions
The IPL 2026 player auctions are now on the cards for the 2025 champions, taking place in Abu Dhabi on December 16. But first, the teams need to submit the list of players they wish to keep by November 15.
RCB is likely to make few changes to their squad that became the champions of IPL. To manage next season successfully, they must first of all decide which players to keep and then retain them. However, they are also planning to release some players from the previous season and thus gain some financial support for the December auctions.
