RCB sale nears reality as Adar Poonawalla confirms interest with ‘strong and competitive bid’
The potential sale of Royal Challengers Bengaluru gained momentum after Serum Institute chief Adar Poonawalla confirmed interest in buying the IPL franchise, promising a “strong and competitive bid”. His entry intensified speculation around a possible RCB ownership change.
Pharmaceutical billionaire Adar Poonawalla on Thursday confirmed that he is planning to make a “strong” bid to buy the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL)-winning team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). It is important to note that Diageo, the parent company of United Spirits Ltd., has put RCB up for sale following the franchise’s long-awaited victory in the IPL after years of drought. Speculation has been rife for months that the Serum Institute of India CEO and Poonawalla Fincorp Chairman was interested in buying one of the most famous teams in the world.
Poonawalla on Thursday confirmed the news, stating that he plans to submit an offer in the coming months to buy one of the IPL’s toughest teams.
“Over the next few months we will be making a STRONG and COMPETITIVE bid for @RCBTweets, one of the best teams in the IPL,” Poonawalla wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Over the next few months, we will deliver a STRONG and COMPETITIVE offer. @RCBTweetsOne of the best teams in the IPL.
— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) January 22, 2026
Earlier, Poonawalla had suggested the possibility of buying RCB on social media, stating that RCB were an excellent team at the right price.
As far as RCB is concerned, the franchise was first acquired by Vijay Mallya’s UB Group in 2008 for around US$111.6 million. Years later, London-based spirits giant Diageo acquired a majority stake in United Spirits, becoming the majority shareholder in 2014. RCB thus came under the effective control of Diageo.
If RCB were to be sold now, the transaction would need to be carried out through United Spirits and Diageo’s corporate channels.
RCB clinched IPL 2025 title
The long wait for RCB and Virat Kohli to clinch their first IPL title ended in June 2025 when they beat Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings in the final match of the series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, this victory was overshadowed by tragic events the next day, as 11 people lost their lives in a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the team’s celebration.
Due to this incident, the future of RCB’s matches in Bengaluru is uncertain. The Karnataka government has approved hosting the matches at this ground, but RCB is yet to confirm this arrangement.
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