Adar Poonawalla Confirms "Strong And Competitive" Bid To Buy Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Adar Poonawalla, the Serum Institute CEO, announced on Wednesday that he will be placing a "strong and competitive" bid over the next few months in an attempt to buy the IPL franchise, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). RCB owners, United Spirits, a Diageo-controlled company, reportedly demanded $2 billion to sell the franchise. "Over the next few months, I will be putting in a STRONG and COMPETITIVE bid for @RCBTweets, one of the best teams in the IPL," Poonawalla posted on X.

In October last year, Poonawalla shared a post on X, saying, "At the right valuation, @RCBTweets is a great team."

Over the next few months, will be putting in a STRONG and COMPETITIVE bid for @RCBTweets, one of the best teams in the IPL.

— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) January 22, 2026

Poonawalla's message was short and non-committal, but it landed at the right moment and was amplified by industry voices. Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi publicly suggested RCB would be a "prime investment" and floated the idea that global or sovereign funds would line up for the franchise, adding volume to the rumors.

The $2 billion figure would make the franchise one of the most valuable single-team assets in cricket history if achieved. Reports also indicate that global investment bank Citi has been appointed as the transaction adviser to oversee the potential sale.

If this proposed sale is completed, it would represent a valuation more than double that of the most recently sold franchise, Lucknow Super Giants, which was bought by the RPSG Group for Rs 7,090 crore.

RCB was originally bought at the 2008 IPL auction by Vijay Mallya's UB Group for about $111.6 million. Over the next decade, Diageo-the London-listed spirits giant-built a controlling stake in United Spirits, and by 2014, it became the majority shareholder.

That is how RCB came under Diageo's effective control. Any sale now would, therefore, be handled via United Spirits' and Diageo's corporate channels. RCB are the defending champions of the IPL, having lifted their first title last year after beating Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final.

Topics mentioned in this article

Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2026 Cricket