Yeh khabar aayi Bloomberg se, jismein kaha gaya ki Diageo apni Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise ko $2 billion tak ke valuation mein bech sakta hai. Par Diageo ne jaldi hi ispe safai di. Mital Sanghvi, Diageo India ke Vice President of Treasury & Company Secretary, ne Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) ko likhe letter mein kaha, “Yeh media reports bilkul afwaah hain. Hum aisi koi baat nahi kar rahe. Yeh sirf aapke information ke liye hai.” Yeh khabar sunke RCB ke fans ke dil mein thodi si bechaini toh banta hai, kyunki team abhi abhi IPL 2025 ka title jeeti hai, aur achanak yeh sale ki baatein? Thodi si shanka toh banta hai na?
Par thodi der ke liye is khabar ko side pe rakhte hain aur dekhte hain ki RCB ne is baar kya kamaal kiya. IPL 2025 ka final match yaad hai? RCB ne Punjab Kings (PBKS) ko 6 runs se hara diya tha, aur yeh unka pehla IPL title tha, 18 saal ke lambey intezaar ke baad! Virat Kohli, jo team ka sabse bada star hai, usne ek baar phir apna dum dikha diya. Par chalo, thodi si baat un players ki bhi kar lete hain jo itne bade nahi hain, jaise Dinesh Karthik ya Shivam Dube, jinhone chupke se team ke liye solid contribution diya. Yaad hai 2016 ka woh match jab RCB ne Gujarat Lions ke khilaaf 144 runs ka target sirf 13.1 overs mein chase kar liya tha? Us din bhi Kohli ke saath saath chhote players ne bhi apna rang dikhaya tha. Yeh chhoti teams ya players jab bade maukon pe chamakte hain, toh dil ko sukoon milta hai. RCB jaise team, jo hamesha se thodi underdog rahi hai bade-bade giants jaise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ya Mumbai Indians (MI) ke saamne, uska yeh jeet dil ko chhoo jati hai.
Ab thodi si baat Diageo ke perspective se. Diageo ke liye RCB ek non-core asset hai, matlab unka asli business toh liquor hai – Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, aur aise hi brands. India mein liquor ads pe ban hai, toh Diageo jaise companies soft drinks ya soda ke zariye apna brand promote karte hain, aur ismein cricket stars ka bada haath hota hai. RCB ke saath unka naam judne se brand visibility milti hai, par shayad ab unhe lag raha ho ki is asset se thodi si munaafa nikaal liya jaye. Bloomberg ke report ke mutabik, Diageo apne US market mein premium liquor sales ke slowdown ki wajah se thodi si financial strategy badal raha hai. Par jab Diageo ke Indian arm, United Spirits, ne kaha ki yeh sab afwaah hai, toh thodi si rahat toh banta hai. United Spirits ke shares bhi 10 June 2025 ko 3% se zyada chadh gaye, jab yeh sale ki khabar aayi, par company ke denial ke baad bhi investors ka bharosa bana raha. Yeh dikhata hai ki RCB ka brand value kitna bada hai – ek afwaah se bhi market mein itna hulchul
Lekin chalo, ek baat toh maan ni padegi – RCB ka yeh title win ek perfect moment tha. Team ke fans, jo hamesha se thodi si ummeed aur thodi si mayoosi ke saath team ko support karte aaye hain, unke liye yeh jeet ek sapne ke poore hone jaisa tha. Yaad hai 2011 ka World Cup jab India ne Sri Lanka ko final mein haraya tha? Woh moment jab MS Dhoni ne woh winning six maara tha? RCB ka yeh jeet bhi fans ke liye usi tarah ka ek emotional high tha. Aur is jeet ke saath, team ki valuation bhi badh gayi – Mint ke report ke mutabik, RCB ka brand value last year 67% badhkar $117 million (lagbhag ₹1000 crore) tak pahunch gaya tha. Toh socho, jab team itni strong position mein hai, toh kya Diageo sach mein isse bechne ka soch sakta hai? Yeh soch ke thodi si positivity toh banta hai, ki shayad yeh sab afwaah hi ho, aur RCB apne fans ke saath aise hi chalta rahe.
Par phir bhi, ek chhota sa dar toh banta hai. IPL ke teams ke valuations ab $1.5-2 billion tak ja rahe hain, jaise CSK ya MI ke liye. Par RCB, jo apne dil se khelti hai, kya uski keemat sirf paison mein tauli ja sakti hai? Aur agar Diageo sach mein bechne ka soch raha hai, toh kya naye owners bhi team ke us jazbe ko samjhenge? Ek aur baat jo chubhti hai – Bengaluru ke M. Chinnaswamy Stadium ke bahar hui stampede, jismein 11 fans ki jaan chali gayi. Yeh tragedy RCB ke victory celebrations ke baad hui, aur isne team aur Diageo pe legal aur reputational pressure bhi daala. Karnataka High Court mein is case ki sunwai chal rahi hai, aur RCB ke ek official, Nikhil Sosale, ko bhi detain kiya gaya tha. Yeh sab dekhkar lagta hai ki shayad Diageo ke liye yeh ek reason ho sakta hai apne options revisit karne ka. Par phir bhi, jab team itni badi jeet ke baad hai, toh yeh soch ke dil thoda sa doob sa jata hai ki kya yeh sab sirf business decisions ke chakkar mein khatam ho jayega?
Toh bas, yeh hai RCB ki kahani abhi ke liye. Ek taraf jeet ka jashn, doosri taraf afwaahein aur uncertainties. Diageo ka letter padhkar thodi si tasalli toh milti hai, par cricket ke is dil se dil tak ke safar mein, thodi si bechaini bhi toh banta hai, hai na?
