The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season is just around the corner, but reports suggest that the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are already up for sale.
As per Harsha Goenka, who is the sibling of the owner of Lucknow Super Giants, Sanjiv Goenka, Rajasthan Royals (RR) the first winners of the IPL in 2008, are also thinking about changing their ownership.
Royal Rajasthan (RR) is mainly owned by the Royals Sports Group which possesses approximately 65% of the shares and the remaining shares belong to the investors like Lachlan Murdoch and RedBird Capital Partners.
The ownership has changed hands multiple times over the years, one notable instance being that of Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra who withdrew from the partnership after the IPL 2013 betting scandal.
Read Also :- Potential Replacements For Gautam Gambhir as Head Coach of India if he is Sacked By the BCCI
RCB and RR in That Order for Sale Before IPL 2026
Harsh Goenka has confirmed that the franchises of the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are likely to be changed in case of ownerships.
Goenka disclosed that the teams are within the circle of potential buyers and that various parties are interested from cities like Pune, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and even USA.
“I hear, not one, but two IPL teams are now up for sale- RCB and RR. It seems clear that people want to cash in the rich valuations today. So two teams for sale and 4/5 possible buyers! Who will be the successful buyers- will it be from Pune, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru or USA?” Harsh Goenka wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
I hear, not one, but two IPL teams are now up for sale- RCB and RR. It seems clear that people want to cash in the rich valuations today. So two teams for sale and 4/5 possible buyers! Who will be the successful buyers- will it be from Pune, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru or USA?
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) November 27, 2025
Rajasthan Royals Deny Sale Talks but Look Into Home Venue Change
Rajasthan Royals have not announced any plans for selling the franchise but the rumors say the team is mulling over a change of home venue. The club might move its home games out of Jaipur due to the ongoing problems with the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA).
Pune’s MCA Stadium is being considered as a new home venue for IPL 2026, and the franchise has already begun early discussions with the stadium authorities.
An official from the RCA made a match-fixing allegation against the Jaipur-based franchise last year. The latter, however, strongly refuted the charge.
In the standings of IPL 2024, the team was in the 9th position, it is also worthy of note. The RR went as far as trading Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and got Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in the process.
RCB assemblage in Sale of Ownership to get USD 2 Billion Valuation
The sale process of RCB was confirmed by Diageo on November 5, who said that it was a starting point. The first public hint came earlier on October 1st when Adar Poonawalla posted on X that the team was most likely to be up for sale.
Poonawalla, who heads the Serum Institute of India and comes from a family whose wealth is over $20 billion, is one of the people that are thought to be thus bidding. Diageo and United Spirits Limited have also notified the stock exchange about the sale process, saying that the update is being provided under SEBI’s disclosure rules.
The companies also clarified that the sale process is slated to conclude by the end of March 2026. A consortium of bidders, likely to include Poonawalla, Nikhil Kamath, and T.V. Mohandas Pai is reported to be looking into submitting a bid. The net worth of Forbes puts Pai at $2.8 billion and Kamath at $2.5 billion.
According to a Forbes report, RCB were valued at over $1 billion in 2022 before their title win in the current season. It is, however, important to note that the franchise’s valuation is anticipated to be even higher now.
