Glazer's $1.8B RCB Bid: Highest in IPL History

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-02-09

Avram Glazer, the Manchester United co-owner, just made a massive move. He submitted a staggering $1.8 billion bid to buy the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricket franchise. He did it through his investment firm, Lancer Capital, based right in New Orleans. And here's the kicker—it's the highest offer on the table, topping a field of nine interested parties. But that's not the whole story. The Glazer family is also in the running for the Rajasthan Royals. Right now, both bids are what they call 'non-binding.' That's just a fancy way of saying there's no legal obligation to follow through yet. It's like putting your name on a list for a hot new restaurant—you're interested, but you haven't actually ordered the meal. RCB plans to narrow the field down to five finalists by next week. Only then will they ask for the serious, binding offers that could seal the deal. ### The Bidding War Heats Up So, what does $1.8 billion actually get you? For the Glazers, it's a shot at one of cricket's most passionate fan bases. The bids for RCB ranged all the way from $1 billion up to their top-dollar offer. To put that in perspective, that's roughly 16,300 crore rupees. If this sale goes through, it would make RCB one of the most valuable franchises in the entire history of the Indian Premier League. The team is currently owned by Diageo, through their subsidiary United Spirits Ltd. They decided to put RCB on the market back in November 2025. The timing wasn't an accident—it came right after RCB finally won their first IPL title last year. The sale package includes both the men's team and the women's team that competes in the Women's Premier League. They're not the only big name in the mix. Indian pharmaceutical tycoon Adar Poonawalla has also thrown his hat in the ring, though his exact bid amount is still under wraps. Winning that 2025 title didn't just bring a trophy; it significantly boosted RCB's sponsorship appeal and set the stage for their 2026 squad composition.  ### A Global Sports Empire Let's talk about the Glazers for a minute. This isn't some random investor. This family owns a sprawling sports empire across three continents. They co-own the iconic Manchester United in the English Premier League, a club valued at about 4.9 billion pounds. Over in the NFL, they own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And they're already in the cricket world with the Desert Vipers in the UAE's ILT20 league. Their combined net worth? It's north of $10 billion as of early 2025. Avram Glazer handles most of these sports deals through Lancer Capital. And this isn't their first rodeo with the IPL. Back in 2021, when the league expanded, the Glazers tried to buy in. They bid for both the new Lucknow and Ahmedabad franchises. The irony is pretty thick here. Their bids that year turned out to be the *lowest* among the contenders. They lost both auctions. Lucknow went to the RPSG Group, and Ahmedabad became the Gujarat Titans under CVC Capital. So, think about that journey. They went from the lowest bidder in 2021 to the highest bidder in 2026. That's quite a turnaround. ### The Regulatory Hurdle Now, there's a catch. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has rules that create a complication. The Glazer family can't enter exclusive negotiations for two different IPL franchises at the same time. It's against the rules. So, if their bids for both RCB and the Rajasthan Royals make it to the final shortlist, they'll have to pick one. The Rajasthan Royals sale is also moving along, already in the shortlist phase with five parties still competing. The Glazers made that cut, too. They'll need to decide which team fits their long-term strategy better if both processes move forward together. It's a high-stakes choice. They might have an ace up their sleeve, though. Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has existing ties with the Glazer family. He helped them with a stake deal in East Bengal FC a few years back. That relationship could be invaluable for navigating the complex Indian cricket business landscape this time around. ### What Comes Next? So, where do we go from here? The process is pretty straightforward. RCB will spend the next week reviewing all nine bids. They'll trim the list down to five finalists. Those five groups will then be asked to submit binding offers—the real deal, with a legal commitment to buy at the stated price. The timeline suggests a final owner could be decided before the IPL 2026 season kicks off. That $1.8 billion price tag isn't just a number. It reflects how much the value of top-tier sports franchises has skyrocketed, especially one with a loyal, massive following like RCB. It's a bet on cricket's booming future and the power of a global brand.