Adar Poonawalla set to bid for RCB ownership
Corporate honcho yet to reveal timeline or potential bid amount
Hombale Films, owned by Vijay Kiragandur, also in fray
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) ownership transfer process gathered steam on Thursday (January 22, 2026) as Adar Poonawalla said he will table a "strong and competitive" bid for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise.
RCB are the defending IPL champions and have possibly the biggest fan base among the 10 teams in the league.
"Over the next few months, will be putting in a STRONG and COMPETITIVE bid for RCB, one of the best teams in the IPL," Poonawalla, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Pune-based vaccine-maker Serum Institute of India, wrote on his official 'X' (formerly Twitter) handle.
The corporate honcho did not reveal specifics like timeline or a potential bid amount. But the bid has to be made in the near future, as the IPL 2026 is scheduled to begin on March 26.
The effort to find a new owner for RCB, currently valued at around 105 million US dollars as per Forbes India, began in November 2025 by current owners United Spirits Ltd (USL), the Indian arm of global beverage major Diageo.
The tragic June 4 stampede that killed 11 fans during RCB's victory parade also accelerated the move to sell the team.
Praveen Someshwar, managing director and CEO of United Spirits Ltd, had said: “RCSPL has been a valuable and strategic asset for USL, however it’s non-core to our alcobev business.
"This step reinforces USL’s and Diageo’s commitment to continue reviewing its India enterprise portfolio to enable sustained delivery of long-term value to all its stakeholders, while keeping RCSPL’s best interest in mind.”
The United Spirits had acquired RCB from their original owner Vijay Mallya after his business ventures collapsed in 2016. But Poonawalla’s tweet comes at a time when RCB is speculated to be taking their home matches out of Bengaluru during IPL 2026.
In fact, Pune, Mumbai and Raipur are in touch with the franchise to host seven home-leg matches.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) on Wednesday had urged the RCB management to stay back in the city for their home matches, emphasising on the security and facility enhancements made to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
But the club responded by saying that “there are still a few grey areas that need to be looked into, and we are considering these parameters and inputs from all stakeholders before arriving at a responsible decision for the team and our fans.”
Other than Poonawalla, Hombale Films, owned by Vijay Kiragandur, is also in fray for RCB ownership. Hombale is the production house behind pan-India hit movies such as KGF and Kantara sequels. But an official statement is yet to be issued by the owners.
(With PTI inputs)
