Royal Challengers Bengaluru has found an ardent supporter in Blackstone chairman and co-founder Stephen Schwarzman. The businessman went viral on Tuesday after sharing photos of himself wearing the RCB jersey to celebrate its back-to-back IPL victories.
Schwarzman shared a photograph of himself wearing a RCB jersey during Blackstone’s internal weekly “BXTV’ meeting, a post that has quickly garnered attention on social media and LinkedIn. The American investment management company had been part of a consortium that acquired the Bengaluru-based IPL team in late March.
“Had to sport a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) jersey on our internal weekly ‘BXTV’ meeting for Blackstone employees after the team just won back-to-back IPL titles,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
He also thanked Amit Dixit — the Head of Asia for Blackstone Private Equity — in the post and highlighted the recent investment.
“We’re proud to invest in the franchise as part of our broader conviction in India,” Schwarzman added.
RCB’s back-to-back IPL trophy
The post comes shortly after RCB successfully defended their IPL crown by defeating Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad. Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 75 helped RCB chase down a target of 156 runs after the Bengaluru side restricted the Gujarat Titans to 155/8. The triumph gave RCB its second IPL title and registered consecutive championship wins after lifting their maiden IPL trophy in 2025.
The franchise also recorded success in women’s cricket. As per the acquisition announcement, RCB won the Women’s Premium League (WPL) in 2024 and again in 2026, becoming the first franchise to simultaneously bag both the IPL and WPL titles.
Why is Blackstone invested in RCB?
Schwarzman’s post comes months after Backstone joined a consortium that signed a definitive deal to acquire 100 per cent of Royal Challengers from United Spirits Limited, a subsidiary of Diageo plc.
Announced in March 2026, the consortium includes the Aditya Birla Group, The Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE. The transactions values RCB at Rs 166.6 billion (approximately USD 1.78 billion) and comprises of both the men’s IPL and women’s WPL team, as per its press release.
Explaining the investment, Viral Patel, Chief Executive of BXPE, stated, “We are excited to invest in RCB, building on Blackstone’s long-lasting commitments to India. RCB stands out as one of the most famous sports franchises in the world with a powerful brand, a loyal fan base and a multiple avenues for growth.”
Schewarzman’s RCB jersey appearance has therefore drawn attraction not only because of the franchise‘s latest IPL success, but also because Blackstone is part of the consortium that has agreed to acquire the team.