The race to acquire the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is heating up, and the newest entrant is Adar Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer of the Serum Institute of India. He announced his intentions to buy “one of the best teams in the IPL” in a post on the social media platform X.
While he is one of the biggest names to enter the fray, he is not alone. Ever since Diageo, the owner of RCB, announced in 2025 that they intended to sell the franchise—which is held under their subsidiary United Spirits Limited (USL)—several others have joined the race too.
Why is Poonawalla interested, and what is the timeline of his bidding?
Poonawalla, as stated in his post on X, clarified that he has long been a fan of RCB, one of the league’s most popular teams. Furthermore, having already acquired a stake in Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions in 2024, his current strategy is to acquire assets that increase the global visibility of his primary brand, the Serum Group.
Earlier, in October 2025, the pharmaceutical tycoon had mentioned that at the right valuation, RCB was a great team. This clearly suggests that he had been eyeing the franchise ever since the current owners announced the sale.
Though Poonawalla stated he would be submitting a “STRONG and COMPETITIVE” bid, his timeline of “over the next few months” keeps things uncertain.
This uncertainty is heightened because RCB will begin their title defence in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on March 26. Thus, if a deal is to materialize, it would likely need to be finalized at least a week before the start of the tournament.
Who else is in the queue to buy RCB?
Ever since Diageo revealed its plan to sell, many entities have hoped to acquire one of the biggest sports brands in the world. As of January 22, when Poonawalla made his intentions clear, the likes of Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath and Manipal Group owner Ranjan Pai have previously indicated they may submit a joint bid.
Another Karnataka-based entity, Hombale Films, in association with actor Ranbir Kapoor, has also shown interest in owning one of the most-followed teams across genders. Then, of course, there is the Adani Group, which has been eyeing an entry into the men’s IPL after failing to acquire the Ahmedabad franchise, having lost that race to CVC Capital Partners in 2021.
It will be interesting to see if Poonawalla or any of the above-mentioned entities are actually able to acquire the side by the start of IPL 2026.