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The ownership transportation process of Royal Challengers Bengaluru gained momentum connected Thursday (January 22, 2026) arsenic Adar Poonawalla said helium volition beryllium tabling a "strong and competitive" bid for the IPL team.
Royal Challengers are the defending IPL champions and, perhaps, person the biggest instrumentality basal among the 10 teams successful the league.
"Over the adjacent fewer months, volition beryllium putting successful a STRONG and COMPETITIVE bid for RCB, 1 of the champion teams successful the IPL," Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer of Pune-based vaccine-maker Serum Institute of India, wrote connected his authoritative 'X' handle.
However, the firm czar did not uncover specifics specified arsenic timeline oregon a imaginable bid amount.
But the bid has to beryllium made successful the adjacent aboriginal arsenic the IPL 2026 is scheduled to statesman connected March 26.
The effort to find a caller proprietor for RCB, presently valued astatine astir $105 cardinal arsenic per Forbes India, began successful November past twelvemonth by existent owners United Spirits Ltd (USL), the Indian limb of planetary beverage large Diageo.
The June 4 stampede that killed 11 fans during RCB triumph celebrations besides accelerated the determination to merchantability the team.
Praveen Someshwar, Managing Director & CEO of United Spirits Ltd, had said: “RCSPL has been a invaluable and strategical plus for USL, nevertheless it’s non-core to our alcobev business.
"This measurement reinforces USL’s and Diageo’s committedness to proceed reviewing its India endeavor portfolio to alteration sustained transportation of semipermanent worth to each its stakeholders, portion keeping RCSPL’s champion involvement successful mind.” The United Spirits had acquired RCB from their archetypal proprietor Vijay Mallya aft his concern ventures collapsed successful 2016.
However, Poonawalla’s tweet comes astatine a clip erstwhile RCB is speculated to beryllium taking their location matches retired of Bengaluru during IPL 2026.
In fact, Pune, Mumbai and Raipur are successful interaction with the franchise to big 7 home-leg matches.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) connected Wednesday had urged the RCB absorption to enactment backmost successful the metropolis for their location matches, emphasising connected the information and installation enhancements made to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
However, the RCB responded by saying that “there are inactive a fewer grey areas that request to beryllium looked into, and we are considering these parameters and inputs from each stakeholders earlier arriving astatine a liable determination for the squad and our fans.”
Other than Poonawalla, Hombale Films, owned by Vijay Kiragandur, is besides successful fray to ain the RCB.
Hombale is the accumulation location down pan-India deed movies specified arsenic KGF and Kantara sequels. But an authoritative connection is yet to beryllium issued by the owners.
