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Manchester United's Glazers Make Huge Bid for IPL Giants Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Something pretty massive might be brewing in the world of sport. Word is that Avram Glazer, who co-owns Manchester United, has put in a stonking bid to buy Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), one of the biggest teams in the Indian Premier League.
The Glazer family already own Man United and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American football team, and now they're apparently having a crack at cricket. Their investment company, Lancer Capital, has reportedly tabled an offer worth about $1.8 billion (roughly £1.4 billion, or ₹16,300 crore if you're counting in rupees). That would make it one of the biggest sports team buyouts in Indian history.
RCB are currently owned by drinks giant Diageo and have been doing brilliantly—they won the men's IPL in 2025 and the women's league in 2026. Diageo have been looking to sell up for a while now, and while there are other interested parties, the Glazers' bid is easily the most eye-catching.
If it actually happens, it'll be a pretty big deal for sport worldwide. You'd have two of the most devoted fanbases—football-mad United supporters and cricket-obsessed RCB followers—under the same owners. The possibilities for sponsorship deals, marketing tie-ups, and fan events would be enormous.
This isn't the Glazers' first go at getting into Indian cricket, either. They tried to buy one of the new IPL expansion teams back in 2021 but didn't manage it. Clearly they haven't given up, which shows just how attractive the IPL has become—it's now one of the most valuable sporting competitions on the planet.
The sale is expected to be wrapped up by March 2026, before the next IPL season kicks off. If the Glazers pull it off, RCB and Manchester United will be stablemates, which would be a proper landmark moment—football and cricket joining forces in a way that could change the game for sports business around the world.