Manchester United owners bid Rs 16k cr to buy RCB: Reports

Bengaluru: Adar Poonawalla may have set the ball rolling, but India’s vaccine czar may have met more than his match in his bid to acquire the ownership of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

According to the State of Play, which was subsequently picked up by a few UK-based publications, Manchester United co-owners, the Glazers, have reportedly quoted $1.8 billion (approximately Rs 16,300 crore) to buy the Bengaluru-based franchise.  

Only on Thursday, Smriti Mandhana-led RCB won their second WPL title, beating Delhi Capitals, making it the first franchise to hold both the Indian Premier League and the Women’s Premier League titles simultaneously. In a validation of the team’s value, Glazers appeared to have made a serious bid to own an IPL team.

They had failed in their quest in 2021 when Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants were sold by the BCCI.

Royal Challengers Sports Ltd, a subsidiary of Diageo and which owns and operates both the IPL and WPL teams, was reportedly valued at $2 billion by the owners who, according to sources, have hired a London-based consulting firm to evaluate the bids and submit a report by March 31.

The reports also claimed that as many as eight other parties have submitted non-binding bids for RCB, ranging between $1 billion and $1.8 billion. They include Poonawalla, Adani, JSW among others.    

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals have reportedly received five bids, which are at an advanced stage. The Glazers are also in the race to buy the Jaipur franchise.  

Sources informed DH that RCB ownership was unlikely to be transferred to a potential successful buyer until the end of the 19th edition of the IPL which is likely to commence towards the end of March.