Ever since it became official last month that Royal Challengers Bengaluru are up for sale, all eyes are on the prospective buyers for the team valued at $2 billion.
Having ended their 17-year title drought earlier this year, RCB are set to have a new owner from IPL and WPL 2026 onwards as Diageo, the owner of the men's and women's teams, has initiated the selling process and set a tentative deadline for completion of formalities.
One of the several names doing the rounds as likely buyers is that of Indian-American businessman Sanjay Govil, according to a report in The Telegraph. The tech billionaire is the founder chairman of Infinite Computer Solutions, a global technology platform provider and digital engineering and IT services company, launched in 1999.
He is also the founder and CEO of Zyter, a cPaaS-based platform focused on digital health products and leveraging connected enterprise technology.
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Govil reportedly graduated from Auburn University with a degree in electrical engineering and has advanced degrees from Syracuse University and the Wharton School of Business. He has worked at IBM and Verizon.
He is currently the owner of the Washington Freedom cricket team in Major League Cricket (MLC), and the co-owner of the Welsh Fire cricket team (the other owner being Glamorgan Cricket Club) in The Hundred competition. He acquired a 49 per cent stake in Welsh Fire for £33 million.
“Fire and Freedom do not comment on specific cases,” The Telegraph quoted Glamorgan chairman Mark Rhydderch-Roberts as saying. “However, we are in the business of owning, operating and developing global cricket franchises. We note current structural trends towards consolidation in global cricket assets and intend to fully participate in that process while creating value for our shareholders."
Why is Diageo selling RCB?
Diageo, a multinational alcoholic beverage company, in a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), said it has undertaken a strategic review of its investment in RCB, and the change in ownership is likely to be completed by March 2026. Diageo reportedly aims to focus on its core business and offload sports assets.
When the league was launched in 2008, RCB was the second-most expensive team, with the then chairman of United Spirits Ltd, Vijay Mallya, spending $111.6 million. Diageo, the British distiller, is the parent company of United Spirits in India, formerly owned by Mallya, who had to forego his ownership in 2016 after falling into debt. Following this, Diageo became the sole owner.
