Inside Lakshmi Mittal’s 2,910 MILLION sport investments – NBA, EPL, olympics and now IPL

The $1.35 Billion Homecoming in Rajasthan

The most recent and perhaps most emotional chapter of this saga was written on May 3, 2026. Lakshmi and Aditya Mittal spearheaded a high-stakes consortium to take over the Rajasthan Royals in a deal that valued the franchise at $1.65 billion. While Adar Poonawalla joined the bid to cover an 18% stake, it was the Mittals who shouldered the heavy lifting.

By putting up 82% of the total bid—a whopping $1,353 million—the family effectively took the reins of a “Royals” ecosystem that stretches from the desert of Jaipur to the shores of Barbados and the cricket grounds of South Africa. For Lakshmi Mittal, who was born in the small Rajasthani town of Sadulpur, this was more than a $1.35 billion investment; it was a definitive homecoming that returned the franchise to its roots.

A Billion-Dollar Slam Dunk in Boston

Before the IPL takeover, the family had already signaled their intent on the global stage. In May 2025, Aditya Mittal led the charge into the most expensive franchise sale in North American sports history—the $6.1 billion purchase of the Boston Celtics. By personally injecting $1 billion into the takeover group, the Mittals secured their position as the second-largest stakeholders in the NBA’s most storied franchise. It was a tactical strike that gave them a seat at the table of the highest-valued sports deal in U.S. history, ensuring the Mittal name was etched into the hardwood of the TD Garden just as firmly as it is in the steel industry.

The London Bridge: From QPR to Olympic Gold

The foundation of this empire, however, was laid nearly two decades ago in London. In December 2007, the family made their first major foray into professional sports by acquiring a 20% stake in Queens Park Rangers (QPR). Initially costing them about $3.2 million, their long-term commitment to the club has seen their investment grow to an estimated $200 million through various capital injections and equity growth. With Mittal’s son-in-law, Amit Bhatia, steering the ship as Chairman, QPR became the family’s gateway into the high-octane world of English football.

But the Mittals have always maintained that their interest in sports isn’t just about the bottom line; it’s about the podium. This philosophy was immortalized through the Mittal Champions Trust. Long before the government or major corporations were backing individual athletes, the Mittals were funding the elite training of a young shooter named Abhinav Bindra. When Bindra stood on the podium in Beijing in 2008 with India’s first individual Olympic gold medal, he was the living proof of the Mittals’ $60 million investment in Olympic infrastructure and athlete support. From the ArcelorMittal Orbit towering over London’s Olympic Park to the precision of a gold-medal shot, the family has proven that their sporting legacy is forged with both financial might and national pride.

The Mittal Sports Portfolio at a Glance (May 2026)