<p>As rumours over the sale of Indian Premier League (IPL) champions <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/rcb">Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)</a> continued, a social media post of <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/adar-poonawalla">Adar Poonawalla</a> has given further credence that the business tycoon is one of the front-runners to buy the Bengaluru-based franchise.</p><p>Speculation over RCB ownership had resurfaced on Tuesday (September 30) after former <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/ipl">IPL</a> chairman Lalit Modi claimed on X that owners Diageo may finally be ready to off-load the franchise.</p>.Is RCB up for sale? Lalit Modi fuels Bengaluru-based franchise's sale rumours with social media post.<p>Modi suggested RCB could be valued at over $2 billion, far above the $269 million estimate in Houlihan Lokey’s 2025 IPL Brand Valuation Study. </p><p>Media reports had also linked Serum Institute chief Poonawalla as a potential buyer.</p><p>On Wednesday, Poonawalla posted a cryptic post on X, which ignited further speculations.</p><p>"At the right valuation, @RCBTweets is a great team, posted Poonawalla as the rumour mill went bonkers after that.</p>.<p>The talk of a sale first emerged in June after RCB’s maiden IPL title win was followed by a deadly stampede outside the Karnataka State Cricket Association-owned Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that killed 12 fans. </p><p>At the time, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) sought clarification, and Diageo dismissed the rumours as “speculative.”</p><p>"The company would like to clarify that the media reports are speculative in nature and it is not pursuing any such discussions," Diageo had written to BSE on June 10.</p><p>But on Tuesday, despite Modi tweet, the company declined to issue a categorical denial. </p><p>The RCB media team echoed that stance, saying they had “nothing to share.”</p><p>Now with this latest cryptic post, the Pune-based business tycoon has triggered fresh speculation in the social media.</p><p>RCB's stocks had increased after they ended their 17-year-old wait by winning their maiden IPL title which propelled the franchise's valuation to $269 million, and helped them dethrone 'sentimental favourites' Chennai Super Kings from the top spot.</p><p>With Virat Kohli as its longstanding face, RCB remains one of the IPL's most valuable and high-profile franchises, though the June tragedy cast a shadow over its historic triumph.</p><p>Vijay Mallya had owned RCB from its inception before liquor barons Diageo Plc bought them in 2016.</p>
<p>As rumours over the sale of Indian Premier League (IPL) champions <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/rcb">Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)</a> continued, a social media post of <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/adar-poonawalla">Adar Poonawalla</a> has given further credence that the business tycoon is one of the front-runners to buy the Bengaluru-based franchise.</p><p>Speculation over RCB ownership had resurfaced on Tuesday (September 30) after former <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/ipl">IPL</a> chairman Lalit Modi claimed on X that owners Diageo may finally be ready to off-load the franchise.</p>.Is RCB up for sale? Lalit Modi fuels Bengaluru-based franchise's sale rumours with social media post.<p>Modi suggested RCB could be valued at over $2 billion, far above the $269 million estimate in Houlihan Lokey’s 2025 IPL Brand Valuation Study. </p><p>Media reports had also linked Serum Institute chief Poonawalla as a potential buyer.</p><p>On Wednesday, Poonawalla posted a cryptic post on X, which ignited further speculations.</p><p>"At the right valuation, @RCBTweets is a great team, posted Poonawalla as the rumour mill went bonkers after that.</p>.<p>The talk of a sale first emerged in June after RCB’s maiden IPL title win was followed by a deadly stampede outside the Karnataka State Cricket Association-owned Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that killed 12 fans. </p><p>At the time, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) sought clarification, and Diageo dismissed the rumours as “speculative.”</p><p>"The company would like to clarify that the media reports are speculative in nature and it is not pursuing any such discussions," Diageo had written to BSE on June 10.</p><p>But on Tuesday, despite Modi tweet, the company declined to issue a categorical denial. </p><p>The RCB media team echoed that stance, saying they had “nothing to share.”</p><p>Now with this latest cryptic post, the Pune-based business tycoon has triggered fresh speculation in the social media.</p><p>RCB's stocks had increased after they ended their 17-year-old wait by winning their maiden IPL title which propelled the franchise's valuation to $269 million, and helped them dethrone 'sentimental favourites' Chennai Super Kings from the top spot.</p><p>With Virat Kohli as its longstanding face, RCB remains one of the IPL's most valuable and high-profile franchises, though the June tragedy cast a shadow over its historic triumph.</p><p>Vijay Mallya had owned RCB from its inception before liquor barons Diageo Plc bought them in 2016.</p>
