Adar Poonawalla confirms ‘strong, competitive bid’ for RCB:Serum Institute chief plans to go all in for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s ownership

The ownership transfer process of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) gained buzz on Thursday as Adar Poonawalla said he will be going for a “strong and competitive” bid for the IPL team. It is worth noting that RCB are the defending IPL champions. Moreover, they are expected to have the biggest fan base among the 10 teams in the league. Therefore, the Serum Institute chief made his intentions clear. Earlier, he had sparked rumours with a cryptic post about his interest in buying the Bengaluru-based franchise. ‘Will be putting in strong and competitive bid for RCB’: Adar Poonawalla Adar Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pune-based vaccine-maker Serum Institute of India, wrote on his official X handleOver the next few months, will be putting in a STRONG and COMPETITIVE bid for RCB, one of the best teams in the IPL.” However, he did not reveal specifics such as the timeline or a potential bid amount that will be tabulated. But the bid has to be made in the near future as the IPL 2026 is scheduled to begin on 26 March. Hunt for new RCB owner began in November 2025 The effort to find a new owner for RCB, currently valued at around USD 105 million as per Forbes India, began in November last year by current owners United Spirits Ltd (USL), the Indian arm of global beverage major Diageo. The June 4 stampede that killed 11 fans during RCB victory celebrations also accelerated the move to sell the team. Praveen Someshwar, Managing Director CEO of United Spirits Ltd, had said: “RCSPL has been a valuable and strategic asset for USL. However, it was non-core to the alcohol 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.” Vijay Mallya was the original owner of RCB The United Spirits had acquired RCB from its original owner, Vijay Mallya, after his business ventures collapsed in 2016. However, 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. However, the RCB responded by saying that there are still a few grey areas that need to be looked into. Other than Poonawalla, Hombale Films, owned by Vijay Kiragandur, is also in fray to own the RCB. 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.