Maryland’s Sanjay Govil Eyes Buying IPL Franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru

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India-West News Desk

POTOMAC, MD – Royal Challengers Bengaluru may soon have a new captain in the boardroom, and one name keeps rising to the top of the chatter: Sanjay Govil.

The American tech billionaire and cricket entrepreneur, already a familiar figure from Potomac to Cardiff to Washington DC, is suddenly being talked about as a prime contender to take over one of the IPL’s biggest brands.

Govil’s Welsh Fire franchise, co-owned with Glamorgan Cricket Club, has reportedly become a serious candidate in the ongoing hunt for a new RCB owner. Govil is said to have both the intent and the funds to make a run at the Bengaluru powerhouse, which carries an estimated valuation of $2 billion.

RCB has come a long way since Vijay Mallya’s $111.6 million splash to secure it in 2008. Mallya stepped down in 2016. Virat Kohli is the marquee player. The franchise has the largest social media following in IPL.

For Govil, the idea of landing RCB would be the ultimate expansion of a cricket portfolio that has grown quickly and confidently. A long-time resident of Maryland, he made his fortune as the founder of Infinite, a digital engineering and IT services company. The billionaire’s path to the sport runs through a distinctly international story: an electrical engineering degree from Auburn University, advanced coursework at Syracuse and Wharton, and a childhood shaped by a father who taught mathematics at Auburn.

As a founding investor in Major League Cricket, Govil bought the Washington Freedom in 2023 and transformed the franchise into one of the league’s most ambitious projects. With Ricky Ponting coaching and Steve Smith captaining, Freedom powered its way to a runner-up finish this year, signaling Govil’s appetite for top-tier competition and high-caliber talent.

RCB’s current owner Diageo, could pave the way for a sale by March 2026 as it shifts focus back to its core business.