RCB, the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise has officially changed its name to Royal Challengers Benagluru. While the team was previously known as the Royal Challengers Bangalore, it will henceforth be known by its new name which keeps its acronym intact. Even though the team had hinted at a name change in a video on their social media handle, the official name change happened at the RCB Unbox event on Tuesday (March 19).

“The City we love, the Heritage we embrace, and this is the time for our ಹೊಸ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯ.  PRESENTING TO YOU, ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU, ನಿಮ್ಮ ತಂಡ, ನಿಮ್ಮ RCB,” the franchise announced on its official X handle.

The City we love, the Heritage we embrace, and this is the time for our ಹೊಸ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯ.

PRESENTING TO YOU, ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU, ನಿಮ್ಮ ತಂಡ, ನಿಮ್ಮ RCB!#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #RCBUnbox pic.twitter.com/harurFXclC

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 19, 2024

IPL Trophy Eludes RCB

Despite participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in every edition of the IPL since its inception in 2008, an IPL trophy has still eluded the franchise. By contrast, Smriti Mandhana-led women’s team managed to win a championship only in the second edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL 2024) after they beat Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final on Sunday (March 17). Virat Kohli, who has been with RCB since the firs-ever IPL game in 2008, video called Mandhana to congratulate the team soon after their WPL triumph, a gesture which went viral on social media.

With a change in name now, RCB will hope they can have a change in fortunes in the men’s competition set to commence on March 22 with the team featuring in the tournament opener against the defending champions and five-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Faf du Plessis will continue to lead the team this season.