After the Royal Challengers Bengaluru was put up for sale last year, there have been a lot of speculations going around about who will be the next owner of the franchise which has a Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy as well as a Women’s Premier League (WPL) title. On Thursday, Chief Executive Officer of Pune-based vaccine-maker Serum Institute of India, Adar Poonawalla put his name in the hat when he posted on X that the company will be putting in a ‘STRONG and COMPETITIVE bid’ for the defending IPL champions. “Over the next few months, will be putting in a STRONG and COMPETITIVE bid for @RCBTweets, one of the best teams in the IPL,” he posted. The effort to find a new owner for RCB, currently valued at around USD 105 million as per Forbes India, began in November last year by current owners United Spirits Ltd (USL), the Indian arm of global beverage major Diageo. The June 4 stampede that killed 11 fans during RCB victory celebrations also accelerated the move to sell the 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 In a communication to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange in November last year, the UK-based company had called it a ‘Strategic Review of the Investment Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (RCSPL),’ a wholly owned company of United Spirits Ltd, the Indian Subsidiary of Diageo. The letter further stated: “The USL is initiating a strategic review of the investment in its wholly owned subsidiary, RCSPL. RCSPL’s business comprises ownership of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise team that participates in the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL) cricket tournaments hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) annually.” Also Read | RCB put on sale months after stampede during IPL 2025 victory parade It is understood that the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the IPL Governing Council have been made aware of the development. In the disclosure, Diageo further said, “It is expected the process will conclude by March 31, 2026.” When Vijay Mallya’s UB Group bought it for $111.6 million, RCB was the second-most expensive franchise after the Mumbai Indians. In 2015, a year after Diageo took a controlling stake in the UB Group, the franchise came under the UK-based company’s control. In 2016, it became the sole owner of the franchise.
Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla set to make ‘strong and competitive’ bid for Royal Challengers Bengaluru
