Change in ownership at Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders:3-time IPL champions likely to sell minority stake; RCB RR also seeking new owners

One of the most successful teams in IPL history, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could witness an ownership rejig. Having won the cash-rich league 2012, 2014 and 2024, KKR are gearing up to offer a minority stake. The Kolkata-based franchise is currently owned by the Knight Riders Sports Private Ltd, established in 2008. Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, Jay Mehta’s Mehta Group and actress Juhi Chawla set up the joint venture before the first season of IPL began. Now, industrialist Jay Mehta-backed Mehta Group is hoping to sell their minority stake. As per Moneycontrol, Red Chillies controls a 55 per cent stake in the IPL team, while Mehta Group owns the remaining 45 percent. Reports claim that a minority stake is up for grabs for interested parties, as Mehta Group plans to offload their ownership and unlock value. The deal is still at a preliminary stage, with talks expected to continue before a deal is finalised in early 2026. The report added that Investment bank Nomura has been chosen as the advisor for the selling party, while it remains to be seen if the Mehta Group will retain a percentage of their stake or sell their share of the ownership entirely. KKR’s decorated IPL journey The Knight Riders are the only franchise apart from the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings who have won the IPL multiple times. They were first crowned champions of the cash-rich league in 2012 under Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy, before repeating the feat again in 2014. It wasn’t until 2024, when Gambhir returned as mentor to help the Knights win their third crown under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy. KKR have spread their wings globally as they are one of the first IPL teams to acquire a team in the Caribbean Premier League – Trinbago Knight Riders. KKR also have sister franchises – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in UAE’s ILT20, and Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket in the USA. RCB and RR also likely to undergo ownership change Apart from KKR, IPL’s 2025 winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru, are also likely to undergo a change in ownership. RCB’s owners, Diageo, announced that they would be selling the IPL franchise as the team is a non-core asset for their business. They launched a strategic review of RCB, which is expected to be completed by March 2026. Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla is one of the interested parties among other suitors for RCB, as Diageo is looking to target a valuation in the region of $2bn. Similarly, Rajasthan Royals’ majority shareholder Manoj Badale is hoping to offer a controlling stake in the team, as they seek a valuation upwards of $1bn for the inaugural IPL champions.