Adar Poonawalla reveals strong interest in buying RCB: 'Will be putting competitive bid'

Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of Serum Institute of India, has confirmed that he is heavily interested in buying the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise and said that he will be putting in a “strong and competitive” bid to acquire the defending Indian Premier League (IPL) champions.

Diageo, the parent company of United Spirits Ltd, are the current owners of the franchise and they had put RCB on sale. The news around the potential sale of one of the most popular teams in the cricket world came soon after they ended their 18-year IPL title drought in 2025.

Poonawalla set to bid for RCB

Reports were doing rounds that Poonawalla was among those who were interested in buying the franchise. On Thursday, the pharma tycoon confirmed his interest. Poonawalla took to X to tell his followers about his strong willingness to buy RCB which he called one of the best teams in the IPL.

“Over the next few months, will be putting in a STRONG and COMPETITIVE bid for @RCBTweets, one of the best teams in the IPL,” Poonawalla wrote on X.

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Over the next few months, will be putting in a STRONG and COMPETITIVE bid for @RCBTweets, one of the best teams in the IPL.

— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) January 22, 2026

Poonawalla’s Serum Institute of India is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by doses produced. The billionaire is also chairman of Poonawalla Fincorp, a non-banking financial company.

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Poonawalla had hinted at his interest in the Bengaluru-based franchise back in October 2025 as well. On X, he had written: “At the right valuation, @RCBTweets is a great team…”.

At the right valuation, @RCBTweets is a great team…

— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) October 1, 2025

This had triggered speculations as him being among the potential buyers of the team.

RCB, already among the most popular franchises in cricket world, had seen further surge in their popularity after lifting their maiden IPL last year. The sale of the team can be seen as Diageo’s attempt to cash in on the sharp rise in valuation of the franchise following their victory.

“The USL is initiating a strategic review of the investment in its wholly owned subsidiary, RCSPL. RCSPL’s business comprises ownership of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise team that participate in the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL) cricket tournaments hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) annually,” the UK-based company had written to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) last year.