2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are reportedly up for sale ahead of the start of the 2026 edition of the IPL, and if Harsha Goenka, who is the elder brother of Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka, is to be believed, then 2008 IPL champions Rajasthan Royals are also in search of new owners.
Harsh took to X on Thursday evening to post a tweet in which he wrote, “I hear, not one, but two IPL teams are now up for sale- RCB and RR. It seems clear that people want to cash in the rich valuations today. So two teams for sale and 4/5 possible buyers! Who will be the successful buyers- will it be from Pune, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru or USA?"
It was reported in 2024 that the Jaipur-based franchise is owned by the Royals Sports Group (Emerging Media Sporting Holdings Limited), which holds a 65% stake. Key minority stakeholders include Lachlan Murdoch and RedBird Capital Partners.
RCB want 2 billion USD
Diageo confirmed on November 5 that it had initiated the process to sell RCB. It was Adar Poonawalla’s X post on October 1 that first hinted that the Bengaluru franchise was up for sale.
Poonawalla, the CEO of the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, belongs to a family with an estimated net worth of over $20 billion, according to Forbes.
In its filing to the stock exchange, Diageo and USL stated that the disclosure was being made under Regulation 30 of SEBI’s Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements.
The statement also highlighted a key detail, noting that ‘the process is expected to conclude by March 31, 2026’.
As per The Times of India, a consortium featuring Kamath, Pai and Poonawalla might place a bid for the team. As per Forbes, Pai has an estimated net worth of $2.8 billion, while Kamath is at $2.5 billion.
A 2022 Forbes report valued RCB at just over $1 billion, a figure from three years ago, before their championship victory this season. The franchise’s valuation is expected to be higher now.
