Billionaires Nikhil Kamath, Ranjan Pai show interest as RCB goes up for sale

The sale of Royal Challengers Bengaluru has reportedly sparked interest from renowned entrepreneurs Nikhil Kamath and Ranjan Pai. Global liquor giant Diageo had officially confirmed on November 5 that they have begun the sale process for RCB, which is likely to be completed before March 31 and hopefully before the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League.

It is being understood that both Nikhil and Ranjan may form a consortium to place the bid. There have already been a lot of speculations concerning who might take over the Bengaluru-based franchise, and this development just adds to the buzz surrounding the topic.

Nikhil is the co-founder of Zerodha while Ranjan heads the Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), as reported by The Times of India. Both Nikhil and Ranjan hail from Karnataka, the home state of the RCB franchise. The franchise is expected to be valued at well above the mark of USD 1-1.2 billion. There is no doubt that the two personalities have enough financial power to participate in the bidding act.

According to analysts, any potential buyer or consortium will be successful in building a strong brand because of connecting to the local fanbase across India. Credibility is also understood to be gained as far as Karnataka's political and business fraternities are concerned. The same report also suggests that a consortium featuring Nikhil, Ranjan and Adar Poonawalla may well be on the cards.

As per Forbes, Nikhil and Ranjan's net worth are 2.5 billion dollars and 2.8 billion dollars, respectively. The prominent American business magazine had valued RCB at just over a billion dollars in 2022. As per another report by investment advisory firm Houlihan Lokey, the IPL’s total business value is at 18.5 billion dollars and its brand value is at 3.9 billion dollars, as of 2025. RCB is understood to be the leader with a whopping 269 million dollars brand valuation.

RCB;'s deal expected to finalise by March 31 next year

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RCB;'s deal expected to finalise by March 31 next year

The men's team won their maiden title in 2025, the 18th installment of the Indian Premier. Rajat Patidar had taken over as the team's full-time skipper ahead of the season. The women's side were successful in tasting success in the Women's Premier League in 2024 itself, which came under Smriti Mandhana. They recently announced their retentions ahead of the mega auction for WPL 2026.