New bidder emerges for RCB, Manchester United owner submits highest offer to acquire IPL champions: Report

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have a new bidder, as the IPL defending champions are being eyed by one of the owners of Manchester United. According to a report by State of Play, the Glazer family have already submitted a bid to own the WPL and IPL champion side.

Reportedly, the Glazers have submitted a bid of around $1.8 billion, which positions them among the highest bidders for the franchise. The bid is said to have been sent through New Orleans-based Lancer Capital, which is owned by Avram Glazer.

The report states that RCB have received non-binding bids from nine parties ranging from $1 billion to $1.8 billion. The non-binding bids are used to indicate serious interest in the franchise but carry no obligation to complete the transaction at the stated price, the report notes.

These bids are said to be used by RCB to narrow down the shortlist by next week and then invite binding offers from the remaining parties.

Who are the Glazer family?

The Glazer family is an American business dynasty that famously owns football club Manchester United along with the NFL franchise Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Glazers are also the owners of Desert Vipers in the ILT20 league.

Avram Glazer was unsuccessful in bidding for Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans in 2021, according to a report by The Mirror. However, the United owner is now said to be determined to own an IPL franchise and is bidding not just for RCB but also Rajasthan Royals.

According to a report by Cricket Monthly, the Glazers’ bids of ₹4,128.65 crore for the Ahmedabad franchise and ₹4,023.99 crore for Lucknow were the lowest among the nine parties involved in the process.

Rajasthan Royals have already narrowed their bids to five shortlisted parties, one of which is the Glazer family. The Royals are said to be over the non-binding phase and are now working towards the second round before going into exclusivity with one of the participants, State of Play reported.

The report notes that BCCI rules do not permit a team to enter into exclusivity talks with more than one franchise. So, if the Glazers are successful in their bidding for both sides, they may have to choose one of them.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly had earlier revealed that he had facilitated a deal for the Glazers to take a stake in the Indian Super League franchise East Bengal FC