Adar Poonawalla Confirms Interest in Buying Royal Challengers Bangalore

The billionaire pharmaceutical magnate Adar Poonawalla announced on Thursday that he would formally submit a "strong" proposal to purchase Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) winning team. It is noteworthy that months after the team ended its IPL title drought by winning the 2025 tournament, Diageo, the parent business of United Spirits Ltd., put RCB up for sale.

There have been rumours for months that the chairman of Poonawalla Fincorp and CEO of Serum Institute of India would like to purchase one of the most well-liked teams in the world. "Over the next few months, will be putting in a STRONG and COMPETITIVE bid for RCB, one of the best teams in the IPL," Poonawala said.

New Possible Buyers of Royal Challengers Bangalore:

#JustIn | Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India on X;

▶️Will Be Putting In A Strong & Competitive Bid For RCB#RCB#IPLpic.twitter.com/5cy5NV7DDZ

— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) January 22, 2026

RCB's current owners, United Spirits Ltd (USL), the Indian division of multinational beverage giant Diageo, started looking for a new owner in November of last year. RCB is currently valued at approximately USD 105 million, according to Forbes India. The decision to sell the team was also hastened by the stampede on June 4 that killed eleven supporters during the RCB victory celebrations.

Speaking about RCB, Vijay Mallya's UB Group first acquired the team in 2008 for roughly USD 111.6 million. Years later, the massive spirits company Diageo, which is listed in London, acquired control of United Spirits and by 2014 had the majority of the company's shares. This is how Diageo effectively took control of RCB. Any sale of RCB would need to go through the corporate channels of Diageo and United Spirits.

In addition to Poonawalla, Vijay Kiragandur's Hombale Films is vying for ownership of the RCB. Hombale is the production company behind popular films in India, like Kantara sequels and KGF. However, the owners have not yet released an official comment.

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