RCB ended their 18-year long wait to win the IPL crown earlier this year.
Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of the Serum Institute of India, on Wednesday (October 1) reacted to rumours of him buying the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) -- one of the most popular Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises.
According to CNBC-TV18, Poonawalla has already initiated negotiations with Diageo Plc, the current owners of RCB. However, it remains unclear whether Diageo Plc wants to sell all of its shares in RCB.
As per multiple reports, the British multinational alcoholic beverage business is seeking a valuation of USD 2 billion for RCB.
Poonawalla's latest post has taken the social media by storm, and with him expressing interest, it is clear that there might be some truth to the current RCB owners possibly wanting to explore a situation.
“At the right valuation, @RCBTweets is a great team,” Poonawalla wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Earlier, former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi had posted about the possible sale of RCB. "There have been a lot of rumour about the sale of an @IPL franchise specifically @RCBTweets - well in the past they have been denied. But it seems the owners have finally decided to take it off their balance sheet and sell it. I am sure having won the IPL last season and also with its strong base of fans and of course the Team itself and a great management team - it could be the only Team which would be available as a whole as an #ipl franchise,” Modi tweeted on September 29.
The buyers are reportedly keen on acquiring the entire stake of RCB, not just a part of the franchise. Global investment bank Citi has been appointed as the transaction advisor.
When CNBC-TV18 contacted a Diageo spokesperson about the same, the response was, "We don’t comment on market speculation.”
Earlier this year, RCB ended their 18-year long wait to win the IPL crown. Following the triumph, a large celebration was organised in Bengaluru, but the situation soon turned tragic as 11 people lost their lives in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium.