The Glazers bought Manchester United in 2005, and their time at the club has not been the best. The fans have been calling for their exit for years, but now they seem to be entering a new venture, bidding to sign an IPL franchise.
Manchester United Co-Owners Plan IPL Venture
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ended their long wait for the Men’s IPL title last season, after the Virat Kohli side, led by Rajat Patidhar, managed to clinch the title in fine fashion. While the team has slowly found success on the pitch, including two WPL titles, the owners have decided it is time for them to exit.
Diageo Great Britain has been actively looking to sell the IPL side since 2025, and nine parties have now submitted their non-binding bids. The bids will now be evaluated by the IPL side before they shortlist the bids that will make it to the next round.
Avram Glazer, co-owner of Manchester United, is said to be among those who have shown interest. The State Of Play report states that interest is strong, as they emerged from the first round as the highest bidders for RCB at $1.8 billion.
They do face some tough competition for the side, with Adar Poonawala (Serum Institute), Parth Jindal (JSW Group), and the Adani Group also putting in strong bids. An unnamed Delhi-based billionaire is also said to be in the summer, along with Dr Ranjan Pai, the founder of Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG) and EQT, a Stockholm-based private equity giant. The final bid is reported to be from Azim Premji, founder of Wipro, at the time of writing.
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As things stand, Poonawalla has confirmed he will make a ‘strong and competitive’ bid for RCB in the coming months. Adar posted on X (formerly Twitter) and said: “Over the next few months, will be putting in a STRONG and COMPETITIVE bid for @RCBTweets, one of the best teams in the IPL.”
The Glazers were also in the running to buy the Rajasthan Royals, who are also up for sale. The Jaipur-based side is ahead of RCB in sales and has reportedly shortlisted five bids.
With the New Orleans-based Avram Glazer’s Lancer Capital bidding for RCB, it is likely that they have not made the shortlist at RR, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not allow multi-team ownership.
