Rajasthan Royals Join RCB in Potential Sale as IPL Faces Major Ownership Shake-Up

The IPL could be headed for one of its biggest off-field twists in years. Something that started as chatter around Royal Challengers Bengaluru being put up for sale has now expanded, with Rajasthan Royals reportedly entering the same zone. Suddenly, two of the league’s most recognised franchises may be preparing for ownership changes ahead of the 2026 season.

The RCB sale isn’t speculation anymore. On November 5, 2025, Diageo from The United Spirits, the company that owns the team, publicly confirmed that it had begun the process of selling the franchise.

The deal is expected to be completed before March 31, 2026, and the numbers being thrown around are massive. With RCB finally lifting their maiden IPL trophy in 2025, their valuation has surged, and the expected asking price has touched the two-billion-dollar mark. Several high-profile Indian investors, including Adar Poonawalla, Adani Group and JSW, are reportedly exploring a joint bid to take over the team.

Rajasthan Royals have now been pulled into the conversation after industrialist Harsh Goenka, the brother of Sanjeev Goenka, who is the owner of Lucknow Super Giants, claimed on X that not one but two IPL teams are on the verge of being sold. According to him, new buyers could emerge from cities like Pune, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru or even from the United States.

RR’s ownership currently rests with Royals Sports Group, which holds around 65 per cent of the stake, along with minority partners Lachlan Murdoch and Redbird Capital. While the franchise has not officially confirmed anything, the growing buzz suggests the owners are evaluating their options, especially with team valuations rising at a pace no one predicted a decade ago.

“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 on 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 the USA?”, Harsh Goenka on X.

The timing of this Sale development has created even more noise, considering the Royals were already in the headlines ahead of the retention window due to talk of the Ravindra Jadeja-Sanju Samson trade with Chennai Super Kings. Now, conversations have shifted from player movement to whether the entire franchise might change hands.

The spike in interest around IPL team sales is not surprising. The league’s media rights deals have hit unprecedented highs, commercial opportunities are expanding globally, and investor interest from outside India is at an all-time peak. After the pandemic slump, teams have bounced back financially, making this a perfect moment for owners to cash in on soaring valuations.

As of now, the Rajasthan Royals management has not issued any statement on the matter, and the BCCI will wait for formal proposals before initiating any review process. If both teams do end up changing ownership before the 2026 season, fans could see shifts in branding, backroom operations, and long-term strategy.

For the moment, the IPL has found itself in the middle of a story almost as dramatic as the matches themselves, with the future of two iconic franchises hanging in the balance. If even one of these sales goes through, the landscape of the league could look very different by the time the next season begins.