In an interesting development, Manchester United co-owner Avraham Glazer has bid for a partial ownership stake Royal Challengers Bangalore Franchise. Notably, RCB has been seeking a change in ownership since the conclusion of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League, where the team also won its first title in the competition.
If reports are to be believed, Manchester United, one of the most popular football clubs globally, has made a bid of USD 1.8 billion to acquire the ownership stake of the franchise, which will be taken away from the current owners Diageo India Pvt. Ltd. Ltd. Glazer, which was one of the nine bidders, is one of the four names selected to pick up the shares.
According to a report in The Week, the ownership will include stakes in both men's and women's franchises IPL and Women's Premier League respectively. It is worth mentioning that Manchester United will not directly retain ownership if they win the bid, as it is Avraham Glazer who has applied in his individual capacity.
Notably, both the teams are the defending champions in the respective leagues, with Rajat Patidar and Smriti Mandhana holding the captaincy badge. Overall, RCB has three championships to its name – two in the WPL (2024 and 2026) and one in the IPL (2025).
However, this is not the first time that a cricket team has attracted the interest of a Manchester club. They already own and operate the Islamabad United franchise in the Pakistan Super League, one of the eight teams in the 20-over league in the neighboring country. It shows United's owners are keen to expand from European football to cricket in Asia.
According to a recent analysis, Manchester United is reportedly the second most valuable club, with a net worth of around five million euros. Glazer, on the other hand, is richer than the club, with his family having a net worth of US$10 billion.
Get every cricket update! Follow us: :
Leave a Reply