Who is Manav Sardana? Entrepreneur buys ₹271 crore DLF Dahlias penthouse, India’s costliest single-unit deal

Entrepreneur Manav Sardana has bought a penthouse in DLF’s ultra-luxury residential project The Dahlias in Gurugram for ₹271 crore. Sardana was associated with Imperial Auto before the company was acquired by global private equity firm Warburg Pincus, Hindustan Times (HT) reported.

The deal is among the most expensive single-home property transactions reported in India and highlights the rapid growth of Gurugram’s luxury housing market, which is increasingly competing with Mumbai’s high-end residential market.

17,200 sq ft penthouse

The penthouse has a super area of around 17,200 sq ft, while its carpet area is approximately 10,500 sq ft.

Based on the purchase price, the property costs about ₹1.58 lakh per sq ft on the super area and nearly ₹2.6 lakh per sq ft on the carpet area.

The ₹271-crore purchase is the latest in a series of high-value transactions at The Dahlias.

In April 2026, investor Madhusudan Murlidhar Kela bought an apartment in the project for more than ₹120.71 crore, according to HT.

The agreement deed showed that the apartment was sold for more than ₹1.93 lakh per sq ft. The property is located on a higher floor of Tower 1 in The Dahlias, in DLF City Phase 5, Sector 54, Gurugram.

The apartment has a carpet area of approximately 6,233.39 sq ft and comes with five dedicated parking spaces.

Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan also bought an apartment in The Dahlias in February 2025. The property cost ₹65.61 crore, while the total amount, including stamp duty, came to ₹68.89 crore.

In another major transaction in October 2025, a Delhi-NCR industrialist bought four apartments at The Dahlias for around ₹380 crore.

The four homes, spread across adjoining towers, have a combined area of nearly 35,000 sq ft. According to property brokers, the buyer plans to connect the four apartments and turn them into one large residence.

420 homes across eight towers

According to HT, The Dahlias will cover around 7.5 million sq ft and have 420 residences across eight towers, each rising to 29 levels.

The project also includes 15 exclusive duplex penthouses with a combined area of around 350,000 sq ft.

The project has emerged as a major contributor to DLF’s sales. During FY26, DLF recorded total sales bookings of ₹20,143 crore, down 5% from the record ₹21,223 crore reported in the previous financial year.

However, the Dahlias generated ₹4,828 crore in sales bookings during FY26 alone. DLF sold 32 apartments in the March quarter, with demand and rising property prices supporting sales.

Who is Manav Sardana?

Manav Sardana is an entrepreneur who was associated with Imperial Auto Industries before the company was acquired by global private equity firm Warburg Pincus. He is the son of SB Sardana, who co-founded the company with Jagjit Singh in 1969.

Based in Faridabad, Haryana, Imperial Auto Industries is a major manufacturer of fluid transmission products for the automotive and off-highway sectors.

Sardana has remained closely involved with the family-run business and serves as a director in more than a dozen companies associated with the Imperial Auto group. According to a report by OfficeChai, these include Imperial Silicon Private Limited, Kreuz Hydraulics Private Limited and Imperial Martor Engine Tubes Private Limited, among others.

(This article was first published in Mint on 10 August)