All Mysuru COVID-19 patients cured, discharged
Bengaluru: Amid the coronavirus spread in the country, there is some news to cheer from Karnataka's Mysuru district, a hotspot, with all 90 patients having fully recovered and discharged.
"All the 90 COVID-19 positive patients from Mysore District Hospital have been discharged without single mortality.
Thank you for all the support," the Health Department said in a brief statement on Friday.
Sharing the joy, medical education minister Dr K Sudhakar tweeted, "Glad to inform that all 90 COVID19 positive patients in Mysuru Dist Hospital have recovered.
Thanks to doctors, nurses & all CoronaWarriors who worked tirelessly to make this possible.With people support, we can win this fight against Corona."
District Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr R Venkatesh told PTI there were 74 cases in Nanjangud, which were related to a pharmaceutical company Jubilant Life Sciences.
Then there were 10 Tablighis who had not attended the Delhi event but were roaming in Bannur,he said.
There were two international travellers and their primary and secondary contacts, all put together 90 cases, Venkatesh said.
The sleepy town of Nanjangud in the district came into the limelight when one after another 74 cases of COVID-19 came to the fore.
District In Charge Minister of Mysuru S T Somashekar, who holds the cooperation portfolio, cited three reasons for the infection spreading.
Speaking to reporters recently, Somashekar had said, "There could be three reasons.
First is that a 10-member team of foreigners had come to Jubilant(pharmaceutical company Jubilant Life Sciences)
Second is that a team of auditors had come from Delhi and the third is that there was an employee of Jubilant who is learnt to have attended the Tablighi Jamat event in Delhi."
According to Venkatesh, an extensive survey was done in the entire area making sure that every COVID-19 case was traced.
"We conducted an extensive survey in Mysuru and Nanjangud.The containment was very good. The containment at the buffer zone is very important, which should be followed," he said.
While it is believed that people above 50 years and those having medical history are the most vulnerable, the doctors made a point that all of them were cured completely.
There were two patients having Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) while four patients were above 50, Venkatesh said.
"The treatment method of young and old is different.
Their response to treatment is very important," he pointed out.
The district authorities have now taken up a task of second round of survey, focusing on patients with medical history.
"This is our second phase of survey.If we succeed, then there will be no positive cases in the district," Venkatesh added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Aditya Birla Group-led consortium acquires RCB for USD 1.78 billion
Bengaluru (PTI): A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) on Tuesday acquired 100 percent equity stake in IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a whopping USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,706 crore) from its current owner the United Spirits Limited.
Other parties involved in the group are -- Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE, a firm of which Viral Patel is the CEO, Bolt Ventures, owned by American investor David Blitzer, and media conglomerate Times of India.
“United Spirits Limited, pursuant to the meeting of its Board of Directors, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements for the sale of the 100 percent equity stake held in its wholly owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) to a consortium,” the USL said in a statement.
“The consortium comprises Aditya Birla Group (ABG), The Times of India Group (Times), Bolt Ventures (Bolt), and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE (Blackstone) for a total consideration of INR 166.6 bn in an all cash transaction,” the statement added.
The transaction includes RCB's men’s and women’s (WPL) teams.
“RCSPL owns and operates Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchises that participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL).
“Upon completion of this transaction, the consortium will, through its ownership of RCSPL, acquire the rights to own and operate the IPL and WPL franchise,” said the USL.
The announcement also concluded the strategic review of RCSPL that was initiated by USL on November 5, 2025.
The United Spirits Limited is a subsidiary of UK-Diageo, and they were keen to move away from RCB as the team was not central to their business plans.
Commenting on the transaction, Praveen Someshwar, MD & CEO, USL, said: “This transaction marks an important milestone for USL as we sharpen focus on our core beverage alcohol business to unlock its true potential. RCB has grown into the most prominent and commercially successful franchise in the IPL and WPL.
“We are excited for the future of RCB under the stewardship of the new owner. As Sports enters a new phase of growth in India & globally, we believe this is in the best interest of the franchise and our stakeholders.”
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, said, “Over the past 2 decades, the IPL has morphed to become a global sporting powerhouse that has changed the face of Indian cricket creating enormous value for India.
“RCB, as one of the most compelling franchises in modern sport, offers the Aditya Birla Group a distinctive platform to extend its legacy of institution-building into the arena of global sport.”
As per the sale agreement, Aryaman Vikram Birla, ABG’s director, will be the chairman of RCB while Satyan Gajwani of Times of India will be his deputy.
Aryaman Birla, said: “It is a privilege to come together in this partnership to shape the next phase of growth for RCB. This partnership brings together a deep understanding of sports, media and consumer businesses.
“Together, we will continue to Play Bold -- on the pitch, in the community, and for the fans who make RCB what it is.”
Gajwani, Chairman, Times Internet Limited, said: “RCB is the reigning champion and the most popular brand in the IPL. We will build RCB into a global sporting institution, while remaining rooted in Bengaluru and Karnataka and its incredible fanbase.”
Blitzer hoped to build on RCB’s recent success.
“RCB has a world-class fanbase, and the IPL is one of the great growth stories in global sport. Having invested in clubs and leagues around the world, I believe the opportunity at RCB stands out.
We look forward to working alongside our partners and the BCCI to build on the franchise’s championship success,” he said.
Patel praised the RCB as one of the strongest sporting brands in the world.
“We are excited to invest in RCB, building on Blackstone’s long-standing commitment to India. RCB stands out as one of the most popular sports franchises in the world with a powerful brand, a loyal fan base, and multiple avenues for growth,” he added.
However, formalities such as ratification from the BCCI, IPL Governing Council, its WPL counterpart and the Competition Commission of India are still pending.
Earlier, IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals was acquired by US-based Kal Somani-led consortium for USD 1.63 billion (approx Rs 15,290 crore),
The Somani-led consortium includes Rob Walton from the Walmart family and Hamp family (Ford motor company).
Somani is an Arizona-based tech entrepreneur who has founded IntraEdge (technology services and solutions), Truyo.Ai (data privacy rights and AI governance) and Academian (edtech services).
The other contenders to buy the team, which won the inaugural trophy in 2008, were the Times Internet-led consortium, the Aditya Birla Group and the Mittal family led by ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal.
