BENGALURU, – Royal Challengers Bengaluru have no plans to own teams in other international cricket leagues, the Indian Premier League franchise’s chief operating officer Rajesh Menon said as they eye expansions through other means.

RCB, a subsidiary of United Spirits, were one of the original eight IPL teams that formed the Twenty20 league in 2008 that has since become the highlight of the Indian summer.

But they remain one of only two IPL teams without any ownership stakes in teams from leagues outside India, the other being the Gujarat Titans which made its IPL debut in 2022.

Other IPL teams such as the Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders own three or more teams in three different countries.

They include franchises in South Africa , the West Indies , the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates , but Menon said RCB have different ideas about expansion.

“Expanding the brand globally doesn’t mean only by participating in cricket,” Menon told Reuters.

“We can expand our merchandise range to Australia, the U.S., and the U.K. through our bar and cafe, not just sports.

“Currently, we are not expanding RCB from a sporting point of view but we will expand RCB through other expansions.”

RCB did, however, acquire the Bengaluru franchise in the Women’s Premier League in 2023 at the reported bidding amount of just over $100 million.

They splurged nearly $415,000 to sign Indian batter Smriti Mandhana the most expensive buy in WPL history and it paid rich dividends as she captained RCB to the WPL title last year.

But the men’s team have yet to lift a trophy in the IPL despite reaching the playoffs four times in the last five years.

“The more number of times you reach the playoffs, the probability of winning the championship is quite near,” Menon said.

“I don’t think it’s far that we win because all the signs are there and the WPL team winning is also one sign.”

Despite having heavy hitters such as Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis over the years, the title has eluded the Bengaluru franchise, who have been beaten in the final three times in 2009, 2011 and 2016.

“Icons are critical and that is what we have created in our RCB franchise,” Menon said.

“Chris Gayle’s 175 not out is still not broken… the most IPL runs record by an individual is still with Kohli , the highest partnership is with Kohli and De Villiers , so we have manifested the philosophy.

“When you play bold, there can be negatives too. The lowest score is with RCB , so that is where we resonate with young India… There are young Indians that want to do multiple things but there is fear of failure.”

RCB rejigged their squad in the 2025 auction, retaining only Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal.

But they recruited big hitters Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt while also bringing in pacers Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to freshen up the squad.

“If you look at our supporting staff, it’s also strong with Andy Flower and Mo Bobat,” Menon added.

“They have come in and they have looked at this entire franchise with a fresh pair of eyes… We have a good team to go, so let’s see.”

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